The water level in Shuswap Lake is on the rise and I’ve seen some big carp swimming around the dock with my own eyes.
This means things are looking pretty good for the upcoming 20th Annual Salmon Arm Kid’s Fishing Derby being held on Father’s Day, June 19, down at the end of the wharf at Marine Park.
The annual derby is open to children 12 years of age and under. There is no cost to enter. Registration takes place Sunday morning, beginning at 6, at the end of the wharf. The only restrictions are that each child must be accompanied by an adult, and each child must wear a life-jacket or PFD. Some life-jackets will be available for children who do not have one.
Six certified lifeguards will be on duty throughout the event.
Only coarse fish are eligible for trophies and prizes, and fish must be played and caught by the child. An adult, however, can assist in netting a fish.
An awards ceremony will take place immediately following the derby at the end of the wharf, where the trophies and major prizes will be handed out. The lucky angler who lands the first fish of the derby will receive the Westside Stores Trophy as well as a $100 gift certificate from Westside Stores. Two anglers who catch fish closest to predetermined “secret weights” will have their names scribed onto the Canadian Tire Trophy and will each win a new mountain bike. The angler who manages to catch the most fish through the course of the derby will receive the City of Salmon Arm Trophy, a rod and reel outfit and a one-year pass to the swimming pool. Second-and-third-place winners will receive rod and reel outfits.
The angler who catches the largest fish will receive the Salmon Arm Savings and Credit Union/W. J. (Bill) Murray Memorial Trophy, a rod and reel outfit, and they will get to take their whole family on an all-expenses -paid weekend fishing trip which will include accommodations, boat and motor and $100 worth of groceries. Second-and-third-place winners receive rod and reel outfits.
There are also a whole whack of great ‘spot’ prizes to be given out throughout the course of the morning.
And if that isn’t enough, there is always the much-coveted and anticipated Parent Appreciation prize to be drawn for at the end of the awards ceremony. Adults receive one draw ticket for each child they register. This year, some lucky person is going to win a morning out on Shuswap Lake fishing with Jason Bellows from Bucktail Adventures on his 27 foot Fishercraft. That’s a $650 prize. Bellows is a licensed fishing guide and if you haven’t seen his boat out on the lake or being towed around town, take my word, it’s pretty impressive. I sure wouldn’t mind fishing on a boat like that (hint, hint).
For more information about the derby, contact Salmon Arm Recreation at 250-832-4044.
Each year the derby attracts a large number of young anglers and each year there are a lot of happy faces to be seen as many of those young anglers make their way up to the weigh-in scales. Anglers are encouraged to do so quickly so that as many fish as possible can be released safely back into the water by volunteers.
I have always been pleased to be one of the organizers. However, the derby couldn’t take place without a lot of hard work by the other organizers including Salmon Arm Recreation program co-ordinator Donna Flatman, Aly Van and Aaron Alcott. Then of course there are all the volunteers and the six lifeguards who get up early to be part of the derby–not to mention all the parents, grandparents and guardians who get up early to bring the kids down to the wharf.
So maybe this year, if you are down there on Sunday morning, June 19 at the end of the wharf to take in the derby, stop one of the organizers, volunteers and/or lifeguards and say thank-you to them for putting on this great family event.
