Over the past four years, Cody Miles and his father, Jason, have been developing fishing gear and tackle that would cover just about any lake condition.

Cody, a senior at Benton Consolidated High School, was well positioned to continue his success in his senior year of high school bass fishing competition.

That was down to a trip to compete in a tournament in South Carolina earlier this month.

Although Cody’s father has accompanied him on every tournament trip, this year the family of his new fishing partner, freshman Laundered Richardson, stepped in to share those duties.

The group set out for a tournament on Lake Hartwell near Anderson, SC last month. Everything went off without a hitch. They were checked into a local hotel. With the gear stowed in the boat that was parked next to the hotel office near the security cameras, Cody and the group set off to attend the tournament reunion.

“My husband had packed two big bags of fishing gear to send with Cody,” his mother-in-law, Kristina Miles, said. “While Cody and his partner were at the tournament meeting, someone stole the two gear bags off the boat.”

Kristina said Cody fished everywhere and never touched anything until now.

“It took him and his father four years to develop his material,” she said. The stolen equipment is valued at approximately $5,000.

“To see what you’ve worked so hard to build disappears in the blink of an eye as you’re 12 hours away from home, devastated and heartbroken,” she said.

Apparently there’s footage of the theft, but Kristina said the local sheriff said “it wasn’t clear enough” to identify the perpetrator.

“Obviously the nearest security camera was not working,” she said.

Kristina said the theft was not only against her stepson, but also against the community.

“Family, parents and the community have helped the children,” she said, paying for the costs of competing in what can be an expensive sport. “If it hadn’t been for our community and me and Jason saving and saving, he wouldn’t be able to do this.”

Cody and Laindree thought they should pull out of the tournament, but another team showed true sportsmanship, stepping up to outfit the pair with enough to allow them to compete.

With the next tournament scheduled for March 27, the Benton community is once again stepping up to help.

“Daniel and Dianna Robinson from the Barn Bar have gone into high gear to help replace what was stolen,” Kristina said. “Country Finance’s Adrienne Mason also stepped up a gear, donating a Yeti color to be raffled off at the fundraiser”

The Barn Bar in Whittington will host a fish fry and fundraiser on March 23, from 6.30pm until the fish is gone. The Miles family will donate and fry the fish in appreciation for the generosity of the community. Twenty percent of all Barn Bar sales will be donated from 3 p.m. until closing. The Yeti raffle draw will take place at 8 p.m. Tickets are available now.

For more information or to donate, contact The Barn Bar at 618-629-2276.