MARYSVILLE — “Keep your line tight,” Shannon Karzmar told her 9-year-old grandson, Dylon Richard. “It’s harder to tell if you’ve got a tug on the line if it’s loose.”
Dylon was one of more than 500 kids estimated to have attended the annual free fishing derby at Jennings Park May 2. Like many of his peers, he had no shortage of advice from adult mentors.
“Reel it in a little more,” Shannon told him. “You should feel a little wiggling if you’ve got one hooked, because they don’t know what’s going on at first. If you concentrate on the top eyelet of your pole, you’ll be able to tell.”
For his part, Dylon has enjoyed coming back to the pond each year because of the big crowds and the frequently pleasant weather, while Shannon has taught him the importance of cooking and eating anything that they kill.
“Whether it’s baked or fried, this is what we’re going to have for lunch today,” Shannon said, before teasing, “If he doesn’t catch anything, we’ll starve.”
Dylon rolled his eyes. “No, we won’t.”
Shannon nonetheless warned Dylon that she was preparing him for the day when “Grandma will be too old to catch fish, so you’ll have to do it instead.”
While Shannon and Dylon are old hands at the fishing derby, James Cassidy took his stepchildren to the pond for the first time.
“My little girl was crying when she caught her first fish, earlier this morning,” Cassidy said, laughing. “It was a little cold, and she wasn’t too impressed by the whole experience. She’s having a lot more fun now, though.”
While all of Cassidy’s kids prefer their trout smoked, Pavel Tishkov and his 10-year-old brother, Daniel, seemed in the mood to try something new.
“We always have our fish fried, so we might grill it this year,” said Pavel, who first found out about the fishing derby by accident three years ago. “It was the Friday night before the derby, and I happened to visit the park and spot the signs around the pond.”
Pavel attributed the size of Daniel’s prize catch to a new bait. While the fish was so heavy that Pavel claimed it almost snapped the line, it was still lighter than the more-than-6-pounder that event organizers estimate was this year’s biggest catch.
“We had maybe a couple of three-pounders, some others that were two-pounders, and the rest were only a pound each,” said Jack Blair, coordinator with the Everett Steelhead & Salmon Club. “We’ve been really busy out here. Of course, it helps that it’s been such a beautiful day.”
Blair and John Martinis, owner of John’s Sporting Goods in Everett, reported that their two groups had spent around $2,000 to stock the pond with at least 2,500 fish.
Mike Robinson, parks maintenance manager for the city, added that attendees also donated more than 400 pounds of food and $75 in cash to the Marysville Community Food Bank.
The club invites fishers from 5-14 years old to join them again at the North Gissberg Pond of Twin Lakes Park in Lakewood from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 16, for another free fishing event.
For details, log onto www.esscwa.com.
