Amenia Lions say, 'Go fish!'

AMENIA — Once a year local children dust off fishing rods of all shapes and sizes for the annual fishing derby at Ralph Vinchiarello’s pond, sponsored by the Amenia Lions Club with help from Freshtown and Amenia Archery.

The derby was held last Saturday, May 22, and marked the seventh year that the Lions Club has sponsored the event. But as Vinchiarello attested, the event has been running much longer than that, with Amenia Fish & Game as the previous organizer.

“They have a lot of fun,� he said, watching the 65 registered up-and-coming anglers cast out lines. “I let the kids come anytime to use the pond.�

Roughly 150 trout were stocked last week in the pond for the event. There was a wide variety of fish to be caught, including some impressive bullheads that tipped the scales and provided a healthy battle for derby contestants.

Tactics and tackle abounded,  with fresh worms provided by Amenia Archery and plenty of Lions Club volunteers on hand to register children, measure fish and cook up hot dogs.

The secret to turning a nibble into a verified catch was difficult to ascertain, as each child had a different approach to reeling in a winner.

“You gotta be fast!� 6-year-old Devin Tietjen said, who had claimed three fish in the first two hours.

The first fish of the day was caught by 5-year-old Thomas Wheeler, an 8-incher. Ten-year-old Kristiana Wilson racked up the most catches with a whopping 30 fish.

The following is a list of winners, broken down by the biggest fish caught, by age group:

Up to 4 Years
Biggest fish: Cody Downing (2 years old), 12.5 inches
Second place:  Alex Smith (4 years old), 10 inches
Third place: Tristan Bronson (2 years old), 9 inches; Laura Alreshidi (3 years old), 9 inches; and Tarance Vinchiarello (3  years old), 9 inches

5 to 9 years old
Biggest fish:  Ethan Richard (7 years old), 9.5 inches
Second place: Sammy Meehan (5 3/4 years old), 9 inches
Third place: Zachary Klingner (7 years old), 7.5 inches

10 to 13 years old
Biggest fish: Cameron McDonald (10 years old), 10 inches
Second place: Shamus Killen (10 years old), 9.5 inches
Third place:  Marc Zuluaga (13 years old), 9 inches

14 to 15 years old
Biggest fish:  Leif Kemmerer (14 years old), 13 inches
Second place: Sara Zuluaga (14 years old), 9 inches