Derby lures families to cast away in Cultus
The Times
Published: Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The number of fish caught was down from last year, but the second annual Greg Clark Memorial Family Fishing Derby went off without a hitch and was a great success, according to organizers.
"We can safely assume that well over 1,000 people took in the event and are very pleased with those numbers as we try to educate our community about Cultus and its fish," said Frank Kwak from the Fraser Valley Salmon Society.
A total of 420 adults and 374 children bought tickets and between them caught 473 pikeminnows. Last year 700 were caught.
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The docks in front of Main Beach were lined with fishers of all ages on Saturday.
Paul J. Henderson/TIMES
Organizers also tagged 25 pikeminnows, but none of them were caught. They held a special draw for all those who caught a fish and five lucky people had their names drawn, each winning $100.
While the docks at Main Beach were lined with eager kids and adults dropping lines, a number of people got out on the water as five local guides--Len's Sportfishing Adventures, BlueWater Rockies Sportfish Guide Co., Swiftwater Guiding, Reaction Fly & Tackle, and Great River Fishing Adventures--took some lucky kids out in boats.
"We were also happy to talk with several beach owners who stopped by to thank us for the great event as well as two Cultus Lake Park Board councillors, which was an encouragement to us," Kwak said.
In addition to the fishing, a number of groups had display booths of interest to the community. At least 200 other people came by for the barbecue or just to enjoy onshore activities such as beach games, face and fish painting, and the display booths.
GREG CLARK MEMORIAL DERBY RESULTS:
Junior (under 16)
Greg Clark Memorial Trophy
Largest pikeminnow by a junior
Tessa MacKay .74 kg. Won a Norco Mountain bike with a $50 gift certificate
Second place junior girl - Desiree MacKay .43 kg
Third place junior girl - Maya MacKay .42 kg
Junior Boys largest pikeminnow
First place - Ethan Lazar .54 kg. Won a Norco Mountain bike with a $50 gift certificate
Second - Jarrod Beyer .46 kg
Third - Dawson Jarvis .46 kg
Most pikeminnows caught by a junior boy
Matthew Fisher 26
Most pikeminnows caught by a junior girl
Kelly Holdsworth 34
Hidden weight by a junior boy
Jami Weathergill
Hidden weight by a junior girl
Teagan Jones
Adult Division
Largest pike minnow
Scott Manwieller 1.36 kg. Won an eight-foot Streamer XL Pontoon Boat $800 value
Second - Sevana Bury .82 kg
Third - Mark Nuyens .66 kg
Most pike minnows
Troy Huggins 29. Won a PVR machine
Hidden weight
Rob Beckers