It was a great day for fishing at the Andover Fish and Game Club’s (AF&G) 31st annual Willis Nowell Memorial Kids Ice Fishing Derby on March 7. Not only was the weather agreeable on Eagle Pond in Wilmot, but the fish were biting. Forty-four kids, an above-average attendance, were kept active chasing those red tip-up flags, reeling in a total of 32 fish.

The kids and their families were treated to free hot dogs and drinks, lucky prizes, and trophies for the longest fish. Thirteen pickerel, 17 perch, and two dace were caught. Trophy winners for each type of fish were:

Pickerel

1. Ave Valle, 19½”

2. Sonny Braley, 18¾”

3. Ryanna Jelley, 18½”

4. Eliza McDonald, 18”

Perch

1. Carter Wheeler, 12”

2. Tanner Scarsilonni, 10½”

3. Caleb Howe, 9¼”

Non-category

1. Walker Barton, 11¼” dace

The AF&G would like to thank this derby’s sponsors for providing supplies: Jake’s Market of Andover, Smith River Trading Post of Danbury, the Park and Go Market of Wilmot, and Byron’s Septic Service of Andover.

Thank you as well to Club members and their families and friends who put in their time and effort to make this derby such a success. We are also incredibly grateful to everyone who came to the derby and who attended our fundraising events throughout the year. Your help makes it possible for us to host the kids derbies and other community activities.

Coming This Spring

There are two upcoming events in the spring. The AF&G will be hosting a Rabies Clinic at the Clubhouse in East Andover on Channel Road on Saturday, April 18, from 1 to 2 PM. The cost is $15 per pet. Rabies shots are provided and administered by the staff of Pleasant Lake Veterinary Hospital.

The Kids Spring Fishing Derby will be held sometime in May on the Highland Lake Channel. More information will be provided on this derby in the next issue of the Beacon.