[05/31/01] The youth event planned as part of the Sportsmen’s Association of Black Bass Anglers Mega-Bucks Bass Tournament took another setback Thursday morning when a net at City Front was uprooted by a passenger boat.

“We are assessing the damage now,” said Ray Patterson, president of the co-sponsoring Ole River Bass Club of Jackson, adding no decision had been made about the youth fishing event, already delayed once.

Patterson said the net was put out Wednesday afternoon and divers had secured it to the bottom of the Yazoo Diversion Canal in preparation for receiving another shipment of catfish Thursday. The net was recovered and will have to be mended before it can be used again.

“We are sitting on quite a quandary,” Patterson said.

Two weeks ago, side thrusters of the American Queen were blamed for rending the net and freeing 3,000 pounds of live catfish. This time it was the Delta Queen, scheduled to leave at 4 p.m. Thursday, that encountered the net.

Patterson said he does not know if there will be enough time to repair and reset the net and put in the fish for the event to be held Saturday.

Advertisements say the event is for youths and is designed to introduce them to the sport of fishing.