By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
LIMESTONE — Nearly doubling last year’s attendance, over 40 youths circled the banks of Delima Pond on Saturday casting their lines in the eighth annual fishing derby sponsored by the Friends of the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
Cousins Peter Roberts and Nathan Barnes enjoyed a carefree morning of fishing on June 11 at the annual fishing derby sponsored by the Friends of the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge.
The pond was stocked with over 300 brook trout on Friday for the Saturday tournament and youths were given four hours between 8 a.m. and noon to pull in six fish. Derby winner Madison Bacon was sitting pretty halfway through the allotted time, having caught her limit of brook trout with a prize-winning combined weight of 1 pound, 12 ounces.
Though she’s only 5 years old, Madison’s a pretty seasoned fisher; she says that she likes going fishing with her dad, Jimmy Bacon.
Landon Leavitt, 4-years-old and Madison’s cousin, tied for second place with 7-year-old Evan Beaulieu: they each reeled in catches weighing 1 pound, 7 ounces.
Angelina Campos, 10, placed fourth in the derby with her six-fish combined weight of 1 pound, 6 ounces.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
Emerson Duplissie-Cyr was dressed for the occasion on June 11. Each angler was allowed to catch a total of six fish, and Duplissie-Cyr snatched a six-fish weighing 1 pound, 7 ounces.
Almost every angler of the derby caught a fish and, more important to members of the Friends of the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge who hosted the derby, each kid had a good time.
Barbara Gallagher, a member of the Friends group, spoke with the fishermen and their families intermittently during the derby and was pleased to find many happy anglers.
“They had a grand time and they couldn’t believe how many fish there were in that pond,” she said.
Both Gallagher and president of the Friends group Betty Rinehart agreed that their favorite part of the fishing derby is seeing how excited the kids get when they get a fish on their line, and it’s pretty understandable why; young anglers’ faces light up so bright when their line goes taunt that one almost needs sunglasses to watch them reel in their fish.
Members of the Friends group are currently organizing a series of Second Saturday events, meaning that the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge will be open the second Saturday of each month for the public to enjoy all the flora, fauna and recreational trail fun that the Limestone Refuge has to offer.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
Between the 43 registered youth and their supportive accompanists, the crowd of the annual fishing derby sponsored by the Friends of the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge was so large that it spanned all accessable shores of Delima Pond, which had been stocked with 300 brook trout for the popular rite-of-spring event.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
Five-year-old Jonathan Hixon of Limestone had a fishing pole taller than he was during the fishing derby on June 11.
