Fishing Tournament Birthday Party!

Fish on!

My kid was a on a fish kick a couple years ago so of course we had to have a fishing birthday party! My husband, at the time, was huge in competing in all the local fishing tournaments. Every year for our kids birthdays I strive to do something both children and adults can enjoy. The way I look at it, if you want your attendance up, you make it fun for the parents too. The invitation is sets the tone for the rest of the event. So, I decided to have a fishing tournament at our local park. It was a blast! Not only did the kids love it, whether they had ever fished before or not, the parents were doing something fun and competitive with their children! Good stuff.


Research. You might have a stocked pond in the backyard or know someone that does however we don't. I called around to all the local parks and got the scoop. The one that worked best for us said we could get a one day fishing license for just a buck or two per kid. Excellent! I arrived early the day of the party and prepaid the RSVPed numbered of kids and then at the end of the party, we settled up.

School. I have to paint the rock every year for Theron's birthday. It's tradition. So this year I had to figure out how to make this kids school spirit rock look like a fish! Fun! Check out the 3D model. I work with some talented folks so one of the girls in the office helped me draw it out. I painted it put when I got the face I had trouble so I called another artist I know to come help. He was cheap labor. A case of beer! LOL! Love it! I also went ahead and scheduled his class party - complete with an invitation for each child, a fishing cupcakes and snacks!

Back to the invitation. I made a logo on the front to look kinda of like BassPro's "Fishing Classic" they do every year and added all of Theron's info to it. The inside opened up to a four step sheet explaining where, what, when, how, etc. I listed the kids prizes so they would be even more excited about coming. I included some cheap prizes from the dollar store as well as a few $5 and $10 cards for Monkey Joe's, Icecream, Toys R' Us, etc. I had to throw in a BassPro card and hat too for the parents! At the end, some won bigger prizes but everyone got something to take home. Interested in invitations for your child? CLICK HERE!

Parents could bring rods and reels or we would supply them. We had several of course. We provided the bait (live earth worms). One to keep it fair and two to leave that chore off the parents to do list. 

Registering. I know it might seem tasteless? is that the word? To register your child for their birthday at a local Target, Toy store or etc., however I LOVE it when I know what to get. Saves time and probably money too! I took Theron and let him scan everything he wanted to his hearts content and then I added in some clothes and shoes for the family members that wanted to buy him something more practical.

I had a postal scale at work that we used to weigh the fish but there are cheap fish weighing tools at Walmart and BassPro. You have to keep the party close together or at least with in earring and eyesight so you can weigh in the fish. I had my two oldest girls wear bright shirts that said "OFFICIAL FISH WEIGHERS" on the back. Ha! Gotta love an iron on! As soon as someone said "I got a fish" they girls ran over and took the fish in a bucket back to the weigh in and bait table and weighed the fish. Each team had a score card so they could keep track of their fish. To keep it exciting, we walked around and took photos of each team, photos when they caught a fish, called out how much longer we had to fish and/or team names and weigh ins. It was good old fun competition and everyone had a blast.

Another great take away from the party was the photos! A link was sent to all the parents to see and download their photos with a thank you note from Theron a few days after the party. A great site to use for that is Flicker, Smugmug, or Dropbox.

After the tournament was over we all went to the park shelter we reserved and while we were tallying up the results everyone was grabbing their food and drinks. During the meal we called out the winners and had them come up for their prizes. If I were going to do this again, I would have made little trophies or medals to put around their necks. I always think of more things I could have done after the party!

More info for the custom cupcake wraps CLICK HERE.

There was a playground right beside the shelter so as the kids finished eating and claimed their prizes the parents sat back while the kids played. Shortly after we had the traditional blowing out the candles and gift opening. Everyone left with a bait bucket full of gummy worms! If you like these for your next party I can personalize them for you! CLICK HERE!

You gotta have a take home for the parents too. I also used these pads for his school favors to give to his friends and teachers! Complete with a custom thank you tag! If you'd like more info CLICK HERE.

Here are some smaller pads too! Love these little cuties! CLICK HERE to see more details.  

Need some easy decor ideas? I wrapped candles throughout the tables with some boppers and big plastic fish - it turned out great. CLICK HERE for more details on the candle wrappers. 

Have questions? Just email me at foxtdesigns@gmail.com