A brief wrap for the derby that I have written for different media outlets.
900 avid anglers braved a very soggy and wet Saturday at Cultus Lake
angling for Northern Pike Minnow at the Greg Clark Memorial Family
Fishing Derby. The derby is an annual event held on the Father Day
weekend and is organized by the Fraser Valley Salmon Society. The derby
started at daylight and by the end of the derby at 2 PM 762 pike minnows
had been brought to the weigh scales. No specially Fraser Valley Salmon
Society tagged pike minnows were caught that would have given the lucky
angler $500, however many great prizes were awarded including 200 draw
prizes to those that may have not even caught a fish.
Liam Rihela was the big winner as he took home the Greg Clark Memorial
trophy with his 0.90 kg fish. Liam topped the Junior boys division with
this fish and took home a Mountain bike and riding gear.
Aiden Dewit finished a close second with a 0.88 kg pike minnow with
Jack Pinker taking third spot with an 0.65 entry. Cole Duffy caught the
most pike minnows by a junior boy as he landed 20.
In the junior girls division a 0.47 kg pike minnow also gave Tegan Jones
first place winning a mountain bike and riding gear. Emma Kelly took
second with her 0.32kg fish with Brooke Snow placing third with a 0.06kg
pike minnow. Brooke Curtis caught the most fish, 9 among the junior
girls that took part in the derby.
Over in the adult part of the derby Terry Summer caught the biggest pike
minnow of the derby with a 1.66 kg entry. Summer was awarded a Fish Cat
U Boat, rod/reel combo along with a tackle box and tackle. Justin Robert
was second with a 1.28 kg fish and Dale Billsten took third place with a
1.02 kg pike minnow. Daniel Krenz caught a whopping 146 pike minnows
taking the adult section in landing the most pike minnows. This gave Krenz
a Fish Cat U Boat, rod/reel combo along with a tackle box and tackle.
Peter Buck also had a good day on the water catching 96 fish giving him
second spot.
Mike Guthrie won the Bill Otway Memorial Prize draw in memory of Otway
who passed away this past year. Otway was an advocate for fishers and
hunters throughout British Columbia and Canada.
Owen Skonberg member of the Cultus Lake Park's Board presented Frank Kwak,
president of the Fraser Valley Salmon Society with a commemorative picture thanking
the society for their community work of putting on the derby for the last number of years.
Much thanks goes to all the volunteers and sponsors that made the derby once again possible.
Also thanks goes to Dean Werk from Great River Fishing Adventures that rounded up 10 guide
boats that took 172 children and adults out for free fishing trips during the length of the event.