Fishing derby fun in Pacana Park

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The lawn chairs and sun umbrellas were broken out on a breezy Saturday afternoon at Pacana Park for the City of Maricopa’s Seventh Annual Fishing Derby. One hundred and sixty of Maricopa’s most prolific junior anglers, ages 5-12, participated in the event, sponsored by Fry’s Marketplace, Chitwood Feed and Hardware, and Lance Lane Insurance.

 
Brenda Campbell, special events coordinator for the city, said that in preparation for the derby, the pond was stocked last week with 100 pounds of Blue Gill and 250 pounds of Catfish, with many of them being over a foot long.
 
Local resident, Joe Sitko came out with his grandson, 5-year-old Bryson Kissling and commented on the event, “I’ve lived here for five years and this is the first time for us. Something like this really brings the community together. When you work out of town, the last thing you want to do on your time off is travel back into Phoenix or Casa Grande for something to do, so this is pretty cool.”
 
To ensure fair competition, Fry’s Marketplace provided complimentary fishing rods, Chitwood Feed and Hardware provided plenty of slimy night-crawlers, and Lance Lane Insurance handed out the water. A loud round of applause was given to the sponsors for their contributions.
 
The Derby was an intense 90-minute total-count competition, which meant the kids tallied their catches and released them back into pond. Winners of the event were separated by age. In the 5- 6-year-old group, Estrella Sanchez caught a whopping 24 fish. Kieren (Mark) Smith was the winning fisherman in the 7- 8-year-old group, hauling in 19. Breelyn Ralston dominated not just her group, the 9- and 10-year-olds, but the entire derby, catching an impressive 29 fish. In the 11- 12-year-old division, there was a three-way tie between Kylie Hickman, Hunter Lintz and Sean Smith, each of whom brought in a total of seven.
 
“It’s been a great event – we achieved our goal, and everyone had a nice time,” said Campbell. “The weather really cooperated, and we had great sponsors.”
 
After the contest, everyone attending was treated to hot dogs, brats, cookies and chips provided by Fry’s Marketplace. Judging by the smiles on everyone’s face, it was indeed a special and memorable day for all those involved. 
 
Photos by Shannon Williams

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