Post 209 Annual Youth Fishing Derby set for late April at Rockwell Park Lagoon

Michael Ducharme, right, and Logan Avery at last year's Post 209 Annual Youth Fishing Derby. | Post 209 photo

Posted By: David Fortier March 30, 2024

By David Fortier

This year’s American Legion Post 209 Annual Youth Fishing Derby will have a new twist, according to Post 209 Commander Brian Avery.

“We are planning something special for this year,” Avery said, “a fishing weekend. Bristol Parks and Rec has their fishing derby on April 27, ours is the next day.”

This is the ninth year Post 209 has held its fishing derby at Rockwell Lagoon and the first time it is back-to-back with Bristol Parks, Recreation, Youth and Community Services’ annual fishing derby, which is held across the city at Page Park Lagoon.

“We are encouraging families to go out and spend time with their kids and make some memories,” Avery said. Get those kids away from their computers and outside.”

The nod to making memories is along the lines of his slogan for the fishing derby, he said: “Today’s Dream Make Tomorrow’s Memories.”

Last year the derby attracted 135 kids, an average number of participants, Avery said. The most participants were 165 the first year after the pandemic.

“It’s become a family tradition, with many kids coming since they were young,” he said. “Many have aged out but they still bring their younger brothers and sisters.”

The Post stocks the lagoon with 300 trout, between half a pound to 10 pounds, and everything in between, Avery said, listing the pounds in increments of two–2 lbs., 4 lbs., 6 lbs, 8 lbs.

“Most derbies,” he said, “don’t do that. They might stock a handful of 10-inchers. “We don’t do that, ours are 14 inches to 24 inches.”

The public invited to join and participate in the stocking of the lagoon.

“We put the fish in buckets and let the kids dump them out,” Avery said.

The derby will offer a lot of prizes, too, he said, from first boy and first girl to catch a fish, to first ones to limit out with two catches, as well as golden trout catches and some tagged fish with prizes attached.

A local construction company, C & M Construction has donated several prizes for those who catch a tagged fish–one is a 55-inch television, and others are $100 and $50 gift cards.

The Post 209 fishing derby will be held Saturday, April 28, from 8 to 11 a.m. at Rockwell Park. Registration is 6:30 to 8 a.m. Trophies and prizes will be awarded. Age limit is 16 and under, and two trout per participant. Worms and meal worms are provided by Tal’s Tackle, free of charge. Steve’s Top Dogs Food Truck is available for breakfast.

Anyone wishing to donate funds for the event can send checks direclty to Post 209, P.O. Box 9408, Forestville, CT 06011. Make checks payable to American Legion Post 209 and indicate in the memor area that the donation is towards the costs of the fishing derby.

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