Annual Hoffman Estates fishing tournament reels in crowd despite rain

Sitting in his wheelchair in a continuous rain with rising pond water soaking his shoes, Patrick Daubelin couldn't have been happier.

"I caught a nice bass this morning - 3-and-a-half pounds," he said with a grin near the end of a four-hour fishing tournament sponsored by the Hoffman Estates Chamber of Commerce and Industry at Fabbrini Park on Glen Lake Road in town.

"I think it was more like 2 pounds," teased Ned Bruns of Carpenters Union Local 58, whose members have been volunteering at the annual tournament for about 20 of its 30 years.

"I'm soaked now but I don't care. I love fishing," said Daubelin, of Hanover Park.

The largest fish caught at the tournament was a 20.5-inch carp. Several "tagged" fish were caught and prizes awarded to the fishermen. Local businesses could sponsor a tagged fish and have their names read over the loud speaker system when the fish was caught and measured.

The event drew 200 participants.

Next year's tournament will be back at it's usual location at South Ridge Park on Freeman Road, where construction and new landscaping forced organizers to move this year.