The 11th annual Father’s Day weekend fishing derby was held in the rain at Jewel Lake last weekend. Hosted by the Grand Forks Fish and Wildlife Association, the derby was held in conjunction with the 15th annual Go Fish BC program sponsored by the BC Family Fishing Society.
Each Father’s Day weekend the province gets involved by waiving fishing license requirements making it the ideal way for families to enjoy Father’s Day weekend outdoors.
Volunteers from local community groups such as the Grand Forks Fish and Wildlife Association make it happen out on the water. There were 144 people registered this year for the event that ran from 5 p.m. on Friday thorough noon on Sunday.
Event organizer Craig Kiselbach said there was quite a bit of rain off and on over the weekend. That hadn’t dampened his smile though and he said he was happy with the turnout. “They caught a lot of fish. There were lots of families and kids running around catching frogs,” he said. “Kids were swimming – even in the rain.”
He praised Jewel Lake Resort owners Jim and Carolyn Harrison for their hospitality through the weekend.
GFWA president Brian Hancock and long-time member Mel Carroll manned the Grand Forks Wildlife Association official derby weigh in station on Sunday morning.
According to the BC Family Fishing Society website (bcfamilyfishing.com) this year’s Family Fishing Weekend was made possible by financial support from the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC and the Province of British Columbia.
Winners of the 11th annual GFWA derby were:
Adult
1 – Christa Schlepes – 1 lb 5 3/4 ounces
2 – Rick Matsalla – 1 lb 4 5/8 ounces
3 – Gaylene Slaferek – 15 3/8 ounces
Women’s
Wendy Higashi – 13 1/4 ounces
Kids –
1 - Josh Bryant – 14 ounce
2 - Colin Anderson – 12 3/4 ounces
3 - McKenna Devries - 12 5/8 ounces