Powassan Fishing Derby reels in anglers young and old looking for gigantic fish

An early Sunday morning fishing derby in Powassan reeled in all ages for a chance to snag the 'big one' at Hydro Pond.

At the crack of dawn, eager anglers were checking their gear, boat and bait.

"This is my first time in this derby. My brother-in-law invited me up," said angler Stephan St Pierre.

"It's a lake and there's fish everywhere. You just have to find the right shady spots."

Boat motors rumbled across the area as 40 anglers sped off on the water at 8 a.m. having to return to the pond bay by noon for weigh-in.

Young Emmitt Reid hauled in a 52 centimetre monster.

"It was heavy. All our lines got stuck together and it was hard to reel in," Reid said.

"It was great to be out with the family."

Austin Rounding snagged one small mouth bass.

"I found a spot in the weeds and we were using leeches and I found a good spot. It just yanked on my rod," said Rounding.

"I saw it jumping around a couple of times."

The town derby has been running for eight years. There was no derby in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic. The derby originally started out as a free family fishing day. There are some prizes, but then there is also some friendly competition between family and friends.

"There are some families that have more than one boat and go against one another but it's all in fun," said Gerry Giesler, chairman of the Powassan Recreation Committee Chairman.

Over the years, some large bottom dwellers have been pulled in.

"Bass and pike. Those are the two biggest ones and the odd person brings in some pretty good sized walleye," said Giesler.

"One time, I remember there was a 23 inch bass that was caught and that's a pretty good chunk of bass."

The youthful Finley Garvey was fishing with his uncle and cousin.

"We caught bass and bluegill. I caught the second most," he chuckled. "But we don't brag."

This derby hooks in young and old with a simple cast and large haul.