Daulten Nichols, 14, makes big catch at annual fishing derby

Daulten Nichols, 14, made the key catch at Enid, Oklahoma’s annual fishing derby on Saturday, July 4, 2026, winning a Blackstone griddle after the morning weigh-in. The event at Meadowlake Park opened registration at 5 a.m., and a crowd filled the area as participants waited to cast. By the time weigh-in ended at 10:30, Nichols took first place with an 8-pound, 10-ounce carp, while second place went to Ouidajho Sadler with a 5.5-pound catch. City event coordinator Karen Haggard-Perez said 283 people registered and about 67 fish were weighed by roughly 10 a.m., with additional entries expected closer to the deadline. The city stocks the lake and tags about 75 fish, offering prizes for tagged catches and including one albino fish. Haggard-Perez reported that the albino fish again avoided capture. Weather ranged from the mid-70s early to 89 when the derby finished.