Parks & Rec put on a great fishing derby this year. White’s Pond had been stocked, the weather on May 14 couldn’t have been better, and over 100 kids registered at Sunrise Park to try their skill. Peter Leclerc had made his plans well and his staff and volunteers were ready.
Fishermen were strung out along the dam and elsewhere at White’s Pond for this year’s fishing derby. At center left, two youngsters have brought their catch to the weighing station. Parks & Rec Director Peter Leclerc can be seen at far left by the department’s check-in station.
The official weighing station with the fish scale managed by Scouts from Troop 66 was kept busy helping young anglers hold on to their wiggling catch and then letting them hang to register on the scale. For efficiency, measuring the length of each fish was not part of the routine, but experts were present to identify what variety of trout, or perhaps something else, had been caught.
Some kids released their catch, others took the fish home. One can hope that at least a few were properly boned, nicely cooked, and happily eaten.
Both kids are smiling happily as Davin Gauthier, 9, holds the long mouth bass he and his brother Talen, 6, had just caught. At 0.50 pounds, it was the heaviest fish caught that morning so far, and the derby was winding down.
Parking was strung out quite a way along the park road, including a few men who were preparing the pavilion and firing up the grill for a party. They were members of the Air National Guard 103rd Heavy Airlift Squadron, who had returned to Bradley Airport the day before from a deployment to the Middle East. A young Airman First Class said they were looking forward to hosting about 100 family members and friends for a nice outing at the park.
Sounds like very nice to come home to.