Fishing derby lures contenders into reel test of patience

Fishing derby lures contenders into reel test of patience

Cady Soule of North Canaan cast her line into Factory Pond during the Kids Fishing Derby in Lakeville Saturday, April 19.

Patrick L. Sullivan

LAKEVILLE — Anglers often observe that sudden changes in the weather tend to put fish off their feed.

That certainly seemed to be the case in the early going at the children’s fishing derby at the Grove in Lakeville Saturday, April 19.

It was considerably warmer out than the day before. In fact, by mid-afternoon it was almost hot.

And it was humid.

So the fish should have been dashing around eating everything in sight and celebrating the end of winter.

But as is often the case with angling, theory does not always match up with reality.

This is why it’s called “fishing” and not “catching.”

Around 8 a.m. there were plenty of young anglers around Factory Pond, casting away.

But the only things that seemed to be getting caught were tree branches and underwater vegetation.


A girl hooked a trout and her helpers tried to net it. Alas, it was not to be. But they shrugged it off and kept fishing at Factory Pond during the Kids Fishing Derby in Lakeville Saturday, April 19. Patrick L. Sullivan

At last one youngster hooked a trout by the pond’s outlet, and a grown up rallied with a net that proved to be a little deficient in handle length.

After much splashing and fuss, the fish disappeared back into the depths.

Cady Soule of North Canaan got set up, and after a brief refresher course in how to work the reel, sent her rig into a tree.

She did not let this momentary setback discourage her. With some assistance, she was back at it, with the bait in the water this time, within a couple of minutes.

She was also very well-informed about worms. “They have five brains,” she said.


First to Catch a Fish

Age 6 and under

Remington Hogan

Age 7 and 8

Cady Soule

Age 9 and 10

Two winners, May Brzyski and Bianca Brandson

Age 11 and 12

Rylan Soule

Age 13 to 15

Andy Richardson


Largest Fish

Remington Hogan, age 5


None of the contestants caught their limit of five fish.

Latest News

Father Joseph Kurnath

LAKEVILLE — Father Joseph G. M. Kurnath, retired priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford, passed away peacefully, at the age of 71, on Sunday, June 29, 2025.

Father Joe was born on May 21, 1954, in Waterbury, Connecticut. He attended kindergarten through high school in Bristol.

Keep ReadingShow less
Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less