by Betty Bardswich
SPRING BAY—August 12 saw the 28th annual running of the very popular Lake Kagawong Bass Derby which has been organized by Spring Bay Fish Club President Linda Taylor and her husband Bill for over 20 years. The tournament was originally started by Herbie Colette, Bud Weadick and Lewis Hartley in memory of Steven Shank Vincent who liked nothing better than being in a boat, fishing rod in hand.
There were 60 boats in this year’s derby and by all accounts it was a fun and very successful outing.
“There were boats ready to go at the dock when we showed up at 5:20, even though the start time is 6 o’clock,” Ms. Taylor told The Expositor, “and there were a lot of fish caught with lots of three- and four-pound bass. And there were several children entering.”
The entrants to the derby gathered on Sunday to listen to music by The Islanders, enjoy a great fish supper and see a large amount of prizes given out. They also had the opportunity to buy tickets for the raffle of a beautiful quilt. Rollanda Tovey has been making and donating a quilt for the derby for 10 years now and saw her donation go to Darren Lewis of Lively.
The first three prizes at the event are for the top six bass brought in and the winnings are in memory of Mr. Vincent. There may have been some friendly family competition in the derby as Pat and Brent Leveille placed first while Brad Leveille came in second along with John Kada. The bass weights were 24.33 pounds and 24.11 pounds. Taking third prize went to Keith and Alisha Laroise who brought in a total weight of 23.56 pounds.
Merv Bowerman and Graham Size were awarded the Joshua Montgomery trophy for the largest bass at 5.15 pounds while Scott Willis took home the John Wright trophy for catching the largest perch with a weight of .72. The largest fish other than a bass caught by a female went to Jamie Lee Chatwell who received the Barb Weadick trophy. Mr. Willis then also won the largest fish other than bass by a male for that perch he entered.
Shelley Smith and Rob Wernunt came closest to the mystery weight of a fish that was 11.27 pounds with their catch at 10.71 and Ben Dewar won the three perch by weight category Art Breathat trophy for his one perch at .09
Ms. Taylor was very pleased with the turnout for the derby and the great fishing even though the winds were high. She thanked all those who entered and had special thanks for the people who make the bass derby a success every year including the dock master, the prize donors, the cooks, the ticket sellers and The Islanders and Ms. Tovey
All monies raised at this derby are given to the Starlight Children’s Foundation which brings hope to kids with serious illnesses as well as laughter. Two years ago Ms. Taylor went to Health Sciences North in Sudbury along with a Starlight rep to watch the installation of an entertainment unit for kids and on behalf of the Kagawong Fish Derby. The unit includes a flat screen television, a Nintendo wii and a DVD player. It is estimated that about 4,000 children will uses this equipment before it has to be replaced. MS. Taylor and her daughter, Diana St. Pierre of Espanola are the go-to wish granters for children on Manitoulin and the North Shore.
For more information about the Starlight Children’s Foundation or to enter the name of a child from Manitoulin who deserves a wish, please call Ms. Taylor at 705-282-2273. For the North Shore area, call Ms. St. Pierre at 705-869-7512.
