A record 149 kids, (over 1,300 to date) along with 200 adults and CCA volunteers had a great time together Saturday, morning, May 24^th at the Landings Kids Fishing Lagoon (#56) behind the Oakridge firehouse. Participants included 3 to 15 year old children and grandchildren of Landings residents along with invited children from the Salvation Army, Hunter Army Airfield, Greenbriar, and Children of Tomorrow.

 

Each year the Landings Kid's Derby successfully introduces kids to the excitement of fishing, promotes sportsmanship, and provides family fun. Everyone concentrates on catching…waiting to catch, helping to catch, hoping to catch, or rooting for others to catch one of those wily bluegills or bass in the morning sunshine. And just think, adults and kids spend quality time together without the assistance of TV, computer games, cell phones, or boom boxes.

 

Landings resident, Riley Hale, led this year’s group of high school “Fishing Buddy Coaches”.  This group of young fishermen helped kids needing extra help fishing. This dedicated group of teenagers had as much fun as the younger kids did.

 

The kids caught a total of 163 bluegills and bass. The accompanying pictures capture the excitement that permeated the Derby. You needed to be there to feel the magic.

 

Co-Fishing Derby Chairs and Landings residents, Robert Hale and Tom Rood did a great job running the event. At the conclusion, lots of raffle prizes were awarded which created the feeling that “Everyone is a winner”. The Derby Chairs then awarded prizes to the following children:

First Fish Landed: Liam Boggs, age 8, and Andrew Geha, age 12, both landed Bluegills at the same time.

Ages 3-5------Biggest Fish Caught—Lyric Olson, age 3, caught a 13 ½” Bass

                       Most Fish Caught—Rand Parson, age 5, caught 5 fish

Ages 6-8------Biggest Fish Caught—Amelia Moore, age 7, caught a 13 ½” Bass

                       Most Fish Caught—Tucker Smith, age 6, caught 8 fish

Ages 9-11----Biggest Fish Caught—Mathew Cheng, age 10, and Vernon Fater, age 11,

                        both caught 10 ¼” Bluegills

                       Most Fish Caught — Brandon Jenkins, age 11, caught 6 fish                                                    

Ages 12 –15-Biggest Fish Caught—Jessica Easterlin, age 12, caught a 14” Bass

                        Most Fish Caught—Aaron Mayle, age 13, caught 6 fish

A successful Landings Kids Fishing Derby just doesn’t happen. It is the end result of a lot of effective planning and execution by Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) Skidaway Island Chapter volunteers and the Landings Association Public Works Dept. The fishery management tasks included such work as fish census taking, balancing large and smaller fish populations, fish stocking and feeding, and habitat maintenance.

 

Support from the following sponsors was vital to the success of the Derby: Landings Landlovers, KIWANIS of Skidaway Island, The Print Shop, Digital Image, Bandy’s Bait Shop, GA Dept. of Natural Resources, Shamrock Bend, Friends of Leonard DaCamara, Zebco and The Landings Association. 

 

The bottom line is everyone came away a winner, the kids, adults and the greater Savannah community.