Izaak Walton Lake Fishing derby

Published 12:00 am Sunday, September 2, 2001

AID TOWNSHIP – Slightly overcast skies, a light breeze and fishing – is there any better way to spend a Saturday afternoon?<!—->.

Sunday, September 02, 2001

AID TOWNSHIP – Slightly overcast skies, a light breeze and fishing – is there any better way to spend a Saturday afternoon?

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The children who spent Saturday at Izaak Walton Lake fishing in the organization’s derby would probably agree that Saturday’s event filled the bill for the unofficial last weekend of summer.

While keeping one eye on his fishing pole and one eye on his dad who was giving him a brief fishing lesson, Steven Zimmerman, a 7-year old angler from Chesapeake, was lost in the excitement of landing a fish.

"Look dad," he said as the float sent the telltale wobble of waves across the water’s surface, "I think I’ve got one."

His dad, John, said the afternoon fishing was the second part of an already event-filled day.

"He went squirrel hunting for the first time this morning," John explained, " and this afternoon, he’s fishing. He’ll sleep good tonight."

Steven was just one of the 34 kids fishing in the derby sponsored by the Izaak Walton League. Organizers said the group offers the derby annually to children who want to spend a few hours enjoying the great outdoors.

The kids were pulling out a few fish from the private lake and the kids spent their time outdoors visiting one another and fishing – even if their catch wouldn’t necessarily fill a creel.

"I caught a bluegill" said Josh Copley, 9, "but," he said shaking his head, "it was a pitiful one."

Fisherman’s luck didn’t prevail for Copley, either.

"I had a cricket on my hook, but then I switched to nightcrawlers…I threw the cricket in the water and a fish ate it," he said.