By Mary Owen
Sponsored by DLRABA
May 18-19, 6 a.m. – 4 p.m.
May 20, 6 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Awards 3 p.m.
Cost: $15 adults
$8 children 13 and younger
The popular Detroit Lake Fishing Derby will make the most of good fishing conditions this May.
“We’ve been doing this for 30 years,” said spokesman Dean O’Donnell of the event that draws about 3,000 visitors yearly.
“They’ve been stocking the heck out of the lake, so the fishing has been great!” O’Donnell said.
Sponsored by the Detroit Lake Recreation Area Business Association, the fishing derby will take place 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19, and 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, May 20. Sign-ups are at the Detroit City Hall.
“The highlight for me is seeing the kids get excited about winning something,” O’Donnell said. “We always give away a girl’s and boy’s bicycle. It’s not based on the largest fish. When they register, they get a ticket to win the various prizes.”
The grand prize for adults is a 14-foot Smoker Craft fishing boat donated by Riverview Community Bank, a boat trailer donated by EZ Loader Boat Trailer Co., and a tongue jack donated by Steven’s Marine. One lucky winner will walk away with a net filled with prizes from local businesses.
Grand prizes are drawn from tickets given to people when they sign up, said spokesman Bob Franz.
Entrants buying $5 in prize tickets receive a jar of Pautzke bait, O’Donnell added.
“The bait is worth the $5, so it’s like getting it free,” he said.
The first 700 entrants will also get a free fishing derby hat, Franz said.
DLRABA charges adults $15 and children 13 and younger $8 to participate in the derby. Cash prizes are given for all caught tagged fish brought to the registration table. An awards ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. on Sunday at the Detroit City Center.
All Season RV and Marine and Pautzke Fire Bait join Riverview Community Bank as main sponsors, O’Donnell said.
The derby, which organizers say is “very family oriented,” kicks off the summer season at Detroit Lake, the popular recreation spot about an hour’s drive from Salem, east along Highway 22.
The event is the Detroit/Idanha fundraiser for the city’s annual Independence Day celebration, Fireworks at the Lake, to be held this year on Saturday, June 30.
To be a sponsor or for information about the derby, contact O’Donnell at dlraba@HotMail.com or 503-854-3696.
