PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Despite a threatening sky and intermittent showers, hundreds of young people and their families descended upon Mantle Lake Park for the “Hooked on Fishing, Not Drugs” Youth Fishing Derby hosted by the Presque Isle Elks Lodge 1954.
According to the event chair, Alan Harding, 225 young people between the ages of 3-16 registered to participate. During the course of the four-hour derby, the young anglers successfully landed 85 trout, measuring from 8 to 13 1/2 inches.
Nine-year-old Mia Shaw caught the biggest trout, which measured 13 1/2 inches in length. Allison Lizot, 11, caught the greatest total length for a five-fish limit, with her catches measuring 56 1/2 inches total.
The youngest successful angler was 3-year-old Evelyn Wardell, who caught a 13-inch trout. Nine-year-old Elizabeth Boyd was the first person to catch a fish. She quickly added four more to her catch and completed her limit in less than one and a half hours.
While every registered entrant was able to select a prize to take home, four contestants took home bicycles; two won swimming pools; and Landen Corbin of Caribou won a lifetime fishing license.
“While fishing, the young anglers and their supervising adults developed some pretty healthy appetites,” Harding said. “During the fishing derby, the Presque Isle Elks served 600 hot dogs, over 200 bags of chips, 600 drinks, and 5 gallons of Houlton Farms Dairy ice cream.
“There were plenty of young, novice fishermen, who were getting their first opportunity to go fishing,” he continued. “With assistance from the Aroostook County Conservation Association and Ben’s Trading Post, 50 new fishing rods and reels were given to young people who attended the fishing derby, but previously did not possess fishing equipment. Over 150 young people left the fishing derby with a new fishing tackle box filled with fishing gear, courtesy of PLANO and OMM Outfitters of Eagle Lake, Maine. Worms and nightcrawlers were available to all the young fishermen, courtesy of Taylor’s Bait.”
Marion Donahue, Exalted Ruler of the Presque Isle Elks, said, “The Presque Isle Elks are so pleased to host this event for the youth of our area every year. While attending this event, young people experience the fun that they can enjoy in outdoor recreation. Because fishing and other similar outdoor recreational activities have been demonstrated to be such powerful inhibitors of unlawful drug use, the introduction of these young people to fishing is undeniably beneficial.”
Donahue concluded, “By awarding a significant prize to every boy and girl who participates in the fishing derby, the Elks seek to not only guarantee that every young participant leaves the fishing derby with a very positive memory of their participation, but also with the message that by engaging in fishing, everyone is a winner in the war on illegal drug use.”
“The Presque Isle Parks and Recreation Department, once again, was extremely accommodating and did a superb job in ensuring that Mantle Lake Park was expertly groomed for this event,” Harding said. “Finally, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife were wonderfully generous in providing 500 trout with which to stock Mantle Lake for the fishing derby.”
Donahue said plans for the 18th “Hooked on Fishing, Not Drugs” Youth Fishing Derby on June 2, 2018, is already underway.
