PROVIDENCE BAY—The fishing was very good, as was the weather, and all the fun participants had at the annual Lake Kagawong Smallmouth Bass Derby that will benefit those in need locally and the Starlight Children’s Foundation.
“I would like to welcome everyone to the 29th annual Lake Kagawong Smallmouth Bass Derby,” stated Linda Taylor, one of the organizers of the annual derby held this past weekend and master of ceremonies for the awards ceremony held Sunday afternoon at the Providence Bay Community Hall. “I think it is quite amazing that this derby is still going on after 29 years. I see a lot of familiar faces here today; a lot of people come back every year, and some new faces, who are very welcome.”
Ms. Taylor told the participants, “I never realized there were so many big fish in Lake Kagawong, and I’ve never seen so many fish at the dock to be weighed. It was amazing.”
Ms. Taylor explained the annual derby drew a total of 62 two person teams, an increase from 60 teams in 2017. “A big thank you to all our sponsors for their financial help and donation of prizes. And a big thanks to all our volunteers for the derby, if it wasn’t for all of you this event wouldn’t happen: the dock masters, cooks, the band The Islanders, Marlene Burns and Lee Chatwell, who collect all the prizes, people who sold tickets, and the group that donates the quilt to be raffled off.”
After the 2017 derby, $5,000 was raised for the Children’s Foundation Starlight Foundation, “and supported a young Island man who has cerebral palsy and with the pool we were able to provide for it helped to straighten out his legs to walk,” said Ms. Taylor. And last year, we were able to support a young man who had undergone a kidney transplant. This year we are going to be helping a young man who last January completed his last treatment for leukemia, but in February it was rediagnosed. We are raising funds for his and his family’s travel expenses, $500 from the derby will be going to him, and the remainder going to the Starlight Foundation to hopefully benefit a local child.”
As for the derby itself, Joan Brough, the mother of Steven Shank Vincent in whose memory the derby was first organized, presented the trophies and cash prizes to the winners in each category.
The Steven Shank Vincent Memorial Trophy for the total weight of six bass-first place prize was by Keith Lacroix and Terry Latendre, whose fish weighed a total of 25.37 pounds, with a very close second and third place finish going to the teams of Reg McAllister and Jack White at 24.96 pounds and Pat Leveille and Brent Leveille at 24.54 pounds, respectively.
Shelly Smith was the winner of the Joshua Montgomery Memorial Trophy for largest bass caught in the derby, 0.98 pounds.
The John Wright Memorial Trophy was won for the largest perch caught in the derby, 0.99 pounds, won by Stella Leveille who caught the fish and her teammate and sister Laylon.
The Bob Haskett Memorial Trophy, for the largest fish other than a bass caught by a male angler, was won by Lee Brady, with a catch of a pickerel weighing 5.79 pounds.
Kerry Cranston won the Barb Weadick Memorial Trophy for her catch of the largest fish other than bass by a female angler, this being a sucker weighing 2.60 pounds.
The Nora Weadick Memorial Trophy was presented to the mystery weight prize winner (the mystery weight of 13.04 pounds was chosen). The winning team was the Marilyn Breathat and Gary Card team with their catch of 11.55 pounds.
And last but not least, the Art Breathat Memorial Trophy for largest weight of three perch caught by youth, 1.54 pounds, was won by Ryan Japp.
The winning ticket for the raffle, of a quilt donated by the Island Quilters Guild (with the blocks made by Rolanda Tovey and sewn by Melissa MacIntosh), was Marlene Dagonais of St. Catharines.
