MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE ALBANY, Ga. -- It was all about fun, families and fishing at Covella Pond Saturday. The 15th annual Buddy Fishing Tournament reeled in more than 150 participants from the surrounding area who came out to try their luck at catching the big one. Children ages 4 to 15 were the primary contestants, but parents soon learned what the ?Buddy? part of the competition means. The buddies played a vital role, baiting hooks and taking captive catfish off fishing lines. Through it all, the excitement on the children?s faces after pulling in a fish seemed to make up for parents' slimy hands, unpleasant odors and any accidentally hooked fingers. ?This is the first time he?s been fishing,? said Staff Sgt. Raymond Boyette, gesturing to his son Ricky, whose eyes were glued to his bobber. ?He?s been having a blast since we got here. The competition started at 8, and by 8:03 he was pulling in his first fish.?Ricky jerked his line and shouted, ?I?ve got another one!?During the competition the Staff Noncommissioned Officers' Wives Club sold everything from coffee and doughnuts to hot dogs and soda to keep anglers' energy high and hunger pains low. The club also provided the money for the trophies that were handed out at the end of the tournament. According to Eddie Parramore, Natural Resources manager here, the tournament was held to give children the opportunity to fish and to open the base to the local community.Of the 4,000 channel catfish that were stocked in the pond in early December, 550 lbs. were caught Saturday.The awards were divided into male and female categories. Trophies were given to first- through fifth-place winners and to the boy and girl who caught the biggest fish. Clifford Tooley Jr. took first place among the boys with 34 lbs., 1 oz. Nathan Phillips' 23 lbs., 4 oz. came in second; Devin Grimes' 18 lbs., 4 oz. took third place, barely beating Garrett Tate's 18 lbs., 3 oz., which placed Tate fourth, and Brandon McNutt's 18 lbs., 1 oz., bringing McNutt's catch into fifth place.Devin Grimes took home the boys' biggest fish trophy with a 2 lb.-12 oz. catfish.Among the girls, Shenna Wilson took 1st place with 32 lbs., 8 oz.; Jordyn Cox came in second with 26 lbs; 3rd place was Shelby Dedge's 25 lbs.; followed by Meah Simmons's 4th place catch of 23 lbs., 11 oz.; Nicki Murphree's 19 lbs., 8 oz. 5th place catch. The big fish award for the girls went to Jordyn Cox, who caught a 2 lb.-8 oz. catfish.