'Something to remember forever': Trout Derby for kids, adults set for Tuscora Park
NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ People of all ages are invited to participate in New Philadelphia's first Trout Derby on Saturday morning at Tuscora Park.
"You've got a lot of different places to fish around the pond, plenty of parking, so it's going to be a great event," said Councilman Mitch Pace, one of the organizers.
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"I think for a kid to catch a trout out of Tuscora Park pond is something to remember forever, and that's what we're trying to achieve."
The derby begins at 8 a.m. for those with special needs. Children younger than 12, those ages 13 to 17, and any adults with them, can begin fishing at 8:30 a.m. Adults older than 18 without children can start at 10. Prizes will be given out through a raffle to those participating in each division ‒ 30 fishing rods and 30 gift bags with different fishing accessories. The prize drawings will be held at noon.
The grand prize ‒ two fishing rods and bait and tackle, provided by Northeast Outdoors and the East Ohio Bass Club ‒ will be awarded to the person who catches the single largest fish by weight. All of the prizes were donated by area businesses.
Trout will be the only species eligible for the raffle. All other fish caught that day have to be released.
The event is free, but an Ohio fishing license is required for those ages 16 and older.
Around 1,625 rainbow trout were released into the pond on Thursday by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. The pond will be closed to fishing until Saturday morning. The state is providing the trout to New Philadelphia at no charge. Funding is provided through the sale of fishing licenses.
"They don't feed them two days before they go in, so they should be super easy to catch," Pace said.
The trout will range between 11 inches and 15 inches and will weigh between one and two pounds. There is a limit of five fish per day. Participants should bring a cooler, because they will be asked to take their trout home with them. Not all of the fish are likely to be caught Saturday, so there should be trout fishing at Tuscora Park for the next couple of weeks. Those fish not caught will die once the water becomes too warm this summer.
How the derby came about
Pace put together the Trout Derby with his friend Jeff Miller.
"About 20-plus years ago, I used to go to Coshocton Lake Park, and ODNR would stock these trout," Miller said. "This has been a long-standing program the ODNR does. I used to go down there and fish, and would catch the rainbow trout and bring them home. It was a fun experience."
ODNR releases rainbow trout in lakes and ponds around the state every year but has never done it in Tuscarawas County.
"So it hit me one night that I thought this would be a fun thing to do locally in town," Miller said. "I called Mitch and pitched the idea to him. He really took the idea and ran."
Trout Derby will be an annual event
Greg Kipps from the Sandusky area will be offering to clean the trout that are caught. He will be set up at Lakeside Pavilion 1. There will be tip jar for those who would like to tip him for his services.
The Last Stop Tackle Shop will be selling bait and tackle, and the Tuscora Park Foundation will be selling doughnuts, coffee and bottled water.
The city of New Philadelphia has signed a five-year agreement with ODNR to stock the pond with trout, so the derby is going to be an annual event.
For more information, go to the New Philadelphia Trout Derby Facebook page. Participants can go there to pre-register, but it is not required.
Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Trout Derby to held Saturday at New Philadelphia's Tuscora Park
