Big bites at Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge

15 years ago
By Barbara Scott
Staff Writer

    The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the black flies were biting but so were the fish, as local young fishermen along with their dads, moms and friends participated in the Fifth annual Children’s Fishing Derby,over the weekend sponsored by the Friends of the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge.    

Image    Cody  Barnes of Presque Isle concentrates on his line, during the anual fishing derby at the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge held last weekend. Barnes, 6, appeared to be having pretty good luck snagging one of the stocked trout.

    In a picturesque setting amidst the 7,000-acre National Wildlife Refuge, kids under the age of 16, could fish in the trout-stocked pond for free  and each were allowed to take 10 trophies home.   
    Terry Jandreau, of Caribou, as he was busy assisting several young anglers with their lines, said, “We come here to this event every year, we all love it.”
    During the fishing derby, as kids, dads, moms, friends were concentrating on casting their lines, or untangling them from their neighbor’s, volunteers provided a fisherman’s lunch of dogs, drinks and chips, donated to the annual fishing derby event by Sleepers of Caribou.

Image    All that fishing leaves a person hungry for lunch. Emma Green, 8, of Caribou,was ready for a hotdog, having already  reeled in six of a possible 10 trout during Saturday’s annual Children’s Fishing Derby held at the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge. The fishing event took place at Delima Pond. 

 

 

 

 

 

Image    Six-year-old Nathan Pitre of Caribou, was wasting little time on his first fishing trip, having already pulled in five trout — not bad for a Saturday morning’s haul, all before lunch. Pitre was a participant in the fifth annual Children’s Fishing Derby held at the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge.

 

 

 

 

 

Image    Erin Jandreau,8, of Caribou, proudly displays one of her tropies caught during the annual Childrens’ Fishing Derby, hosted by the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge.This year’s angling contest took place at Delima Pond.

 

 

 

 

 

Image    Rebecca Rider, 7, of Mapleton, and her Dad, Adam, celebrated Father’s Day a little early, when along with her brother Kyle, 11, the trio spent the morning fishing at Delima Pond, participating in the annual Children’s Fishing Derby, hosted by the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image    Megan Thornton holds up the 10 trout, that weighed a total of 4 pounds-2 ounces, she pulled in from Delima Pond during the annual Children’s Fishing Derby. See more photos on page 8  of this section.