Eager young anglers from across the community gathered around Robert LeBlanc’s pond on Saturday June 1st for Cheticamp’s annual youth fishing derby, hosted by the Cheticamp River Salmon Association (CRSA). Open to participants 16 years old and younger, the derby was held between 8 – 11am and included a biggest fish competition and, new this year, a prize for the first catch of the day.
Our youngsters enjoyed a fun fishing morning with their family's!
While many young anglers reeled in notable catches, ten-year-old Theo Chiasson topped off the biggest fish competition with his two-pound 12.7-ounce brook trout. Narrowly missing the top spot was four-year- old Ivy Macdonald whose fish weighed in at just 0.2 ounces less than Theo’s winning catch. Seven-year-old Max Chiasson rounded off the top three with another impressive catch, a two-pound 6.8-ounce brook trout.
Theo Chiasson - (10 years old) with his winning fish. Congratulations!
The new first-catch-of-the-day prize went to eleven-year-old Eli Leblanc, who caught his first fish just moments after the derby kicked off at 8 am. Notably, Eli also was awarded a prize for one of his other later catches (a one-pound 12.5 ounce fish that was good for 6 th place), but instead of taking another prize for himself, Eli opted to gift this prize to a younger angler who had not received a prize. Special thanks to Eli his generosity and outstanding display of sportsmanship!
Eli Leblanc - (11 years old) with his prize for the first-catch-of-the-day.
The prizes for the youth derby included fishing rods and tackle, as well as a variety of gift cards and toys to appeal to young anglers, all generously donated by local businesses. The Acadian Credit Union was once again a big supporter of the youth derby, donating food and drinks for the participants, as well as providing volunteers to cook hotdogs and serve food. Thank you!
Great Weather and a even better location. Thanks to Robert Leblanc to host our youth fishing derby at his pond.
On Sunday June 2 nd , the CRSA held its second derby of the weekend at Petit Lac in Grand Étang. Open to participants of all ages, the derby at Petit Lac provided another opportunity for both locals and visitors to spend a morning fishing. Although the weather was cool and overcast on Sunday, the second derby was made more enjoyable with the addition of coffee and snacks from the Last Chance Sandwich in Cheticamp.
Snacks & beverages at the fishing Platform at Petit Lac