SUN CITY – Last spring, Wildflower Lake was re-stocked with fish after the chemical pollution incident that killed a significant amount of aquatic life.
That’s a good thing, because 50 eager children descended on the lake on July 15 in the annual Angler’s Club and Grandma, Grandpa, and Me Club fishing derby. They did some serious fish-catching, and one 10-year-old even caught a turtle. Thirty-nine of the kids caught at least one fish, and a total of 133 fish overall were caught.
Generations of Sun City families, friends, and family gather for the Grandma Grandpa & Me Club and Angler’s Club Annual fishing derby. (Photo provided)
“It was a beautiful day, we had a good group of kids, and it was a very successful event,” said Addie Metoyer, who coordinated the activities for the Grandma, Grandpa, and Me club.
The children were assisted not only by Angler’s Club members, who baited hooks, and took fish off hooks and measured them, but also by 75 grandmas and grandpas.
Winning a special medal for most and the biggest fish caught was 10-year-old Ella Tolvstad. She caught 12 fish, the largest of which was a 15 1/2-inch bass, and she also caught a turtle that was about eight inches in diameter.
Metoyer said the event was funded by a donation from the Angler’s Club in the memory of late member Harold (Doc) Cummings. It was given to the club by his daughter, Renee Russell, and family.
“We had a lot of rain in the days before the derby and the water was high,” Metoyer said. “We were worried that the event would have to be postponed or canceled. But the day turned out to be beautiful, and the kids even got a chance to wade in a small puddle that formed near the entrance to the dock.”
Ed Dziubinski, president of the Angler’s Club, was also enthusiastic about the event and the participation.
“About a dozen members of the club provided the bait, we baited the hooks for the kids that brought poles, and we set up other poles and gear for kids,” he said. “Three of the Grandma, Grandpa, and Me members kept logs of the fish caught and they were very busy. We gave out awards to everyone for participation, for the largest and smallest fish caught, and for the largest bass and bluegills. There were 60 awards in all.”
All catches were released back into the lake, according to fishing policy at Wildflower.
“It was not unusual to see a turtle caught,” Dziubinski added. “Turtles, some of them quite large, come into the lake from the rivers that feed Wildflower. In addition to the girl who caught the turtle, another boy almost caught a bigger turtle, but it was strong enough to snap his line before he could land it.
“The kids loved wading in the small pool near the dock entrance because of recent rains.”
A win-win situation, even for the fish and the turtle.
The Medalists
(Photos provided)
