Moosehorn's 14th Annual Fishing Derby
Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge’s 14th annual children’s fishing derby was held on June 18, 2011. The annual fishing derby is a cooperative event put on by Moosehorn NWR, the Friends of Moosehorn, and Cobscook Bay State Park. The derby is held at the Headquarters Pond at the state park, which is located entirely on refuge land. The event went very well, especially considering the nasty weather that had been forecast for the day. Turnout for the event was lower than normal, which was due to the forecast for chilly rain showers throughout the day. Those hardy children and their families who did show up all had a good time, and smiles were all around.
A total of 63 children aged 1-16 showed up for the event, accompanied by 68 adults and other fishermen’s helpers, for a total of 131 people present at the derby. The sky was overcast and drizzle was falling as children arrived and staked out their piece of shoreline to fish from. There was a break in the weather while refuge and state park staff welcomed folks to the refuge and the state park and announced the derby rules. As soon as the introductions were over and children started fishing, however, there was an intense but thankfully brief downpour that awakened the kids as surely as the free Dunkin’ Donuts coffee offered by the Friends Group was awakening the adults. The weather improved steadily thereafter, with just occasional mist and drizzle.
Both Moosehorn NWR and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) stocked the derby pond with hundreds of brook trout a day or so before the derby. Forty-one of the 63 children caught fish, with the older children tending to have more success. Children discovered certain “honey holes” that held the larger trout. Many children caught their legal limit of 5 fish.
Numerous prizes were given out this year, attesting to the generosity of local businesses and the Friends Group who donated most of the prizes for the children. Because of the number of prizes available, we were able to offer first, second, and third place prizes for each of 3 age groups: aged 0-5, 6-11, and 12-16. Prizes were based on the total weight of all fish caught by a child. In addition, prizes were given for the first 2 fish caught and several random prizes were given throughout the derby to keep the event fun, even for the children who weren’t having any luck catching fish.
The winners of the fishing derby for each age group included: Ages 0-5: first place—Kylie Brown, Second place—Keegan Trainor, third place—Jasmine Kuykendall; Ages 6-11: first place—Maddy Kuykendall, second place—William Tinker, third place—Adrian Roussel; Ages 12-16: first place—Lauren (no last name given), second place—Gaines (no last name given), third place—Tucker Sheehan. Several children who had limited success catching fish went home with nice random drawing prizes. Prizes included fishing combos, fishing poles, tackle boxes, lure kits, fish scales, life vests, tools, gift certificates, and more.
Free hotdogs, drinks, chips, and cookies were available to all the children and adults present, and were provided by local businesses, individuals, and the Friends Group. Even children who didn’t catch any fish were winners, as they got to eat as many red hotdogs (a local favorite) as they could hold. Some folks reportedly even just showed up for the red hot dogs, but stayed and enjoyed the fishing and the camaraderie.
Contributors to the event (in alphabetical order) were primarily Calais businesses and included: Bangor Savings Bank, Burger King, Calais Ace Hardware, Coca-Cola (Bangor), Coffin’s True Value (Machias), Dunkin’ Donuts, Friends of Moosehorn, Johnson’s True Value, McDonald’s, MDIFW, Moosehorn NWR, Paradis Shop N’ Save, Robert Heath (Sherman), Slater Photography, VIP Auto, and Walmart.
Everyone seemed to be in good spirits when they left and thanked the sponsors for a nice event. Most vowed to return next year to catch fish, compete for prizes, and eat more red hotdogs. Several families returned to the pond in the days following the derby to catch more fish in the state park’s pond.