Young fishermen fish for fun in Crystal Lake

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

— The weather was perfect and the fish were biting at the Ninth Annual Community Fishing Derby held at Crystal Lake on Saturday.

The banks of Crystal Lake were lined with young fishermen, accompanied by their favorite adults, for the annual derby, sponsored by the Decatur Assembly of God Big Fisherman, Little Fisherman Community Fishing Program and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

The overflow pond waspumped full of water and stocked with fish for the event. Prizes were awarded for the biggest fish, smallest fish and biggest stringer in each age category, and each child enjoyed a free picnic lunch and received a prize, whether or not he or she caught a fish.

“I want to say thanks to all the volunteers and all the sponsors. Without them and the volunteers from our church, we couldn’t pull this off and make it free and fun for everybody,” organizer Nickie Smith said.

Following are a list of derby winners for each age group:Age 1-4 Big Fish - Paige Cook 4.13 lbs.

Small Fish - Shiloh Vandine 0.09 lbs.

Biggest Stringer - Paige Cook 10.26 lbs.

Age 5-7 Big Fish - Kaley Harmen 3.75 lbs.

Small Fish - Jose Gomez 1.12 lbs.

Biggest Stringer - Kaley Harmen 7.93 lbs.

Ages 8-11 Big Fish - Hunter Hendren 4.11 lbs.

Small Fish - Hiedi Vincent 0.13 lbs.

Biggest Stringer - Victor Gonzalez 9.13 lbs.

Age 12-14 Big Fish - Alejandro Telles 4.06 lbs.

Small Fish - Kelsey James 0.05 lbs.

Biggest Stringer Alejandro Telles 7.24 lbs.

Community, Pages 9 on 06/13/2012