“Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.” Anyone who has ever woken up before sunrise to stand in a cold river or on a boat pitching and rolling through stomach turning swells, when more sleep in a warm bed was the more rational course of action, knows there is some truth to this quote often attributed to Henry David Thoreau.
There’s more to fishing than just the catch. There is something both primal and peaceful about casting a line and watching it sink beneath the water not knowing if there is anything there. Not knowing if you will feel a sudden, thrilling, tug or just sit there with your mind wandering, looking into the water, staring at your line, thinking about everything and nothing. Knowing there’s a real chance of failure. Friends, families, strangers, all fish side by side, laugh, joke, tell tales, but in the end, it’s only your line that matters. When a fish finally does choose you, it’s magic. Anyone who loves fishing, remembers that first catch, THE fish, the one that, no pun intended, got them hooked. They can’t really explain what was so great about it, it just was.
Alternately, anyone who has ever taken their child fishing knows it can be a trying experience. All of the traits that make for a good fisherman/woman are usually lacking in children. Fishing, even on the best of days, can be a waiting game. And on the toughest days, when there is nary a nibble for hours, a good angler knows deep down that there could be a monster out there just waiting; all you need is one more cast or to change lures to Ol’ Lucky.
Most kids just don’t have the patience. Cries of “How much longer?”, “There are no fish in this ocean!”, and the dreaded, “Everyone is catching fish except meeee!” now scar once idyllic and boastful fishing tales.
But parents, worry not, there is a fun way to fish with your children hassle free, right in the middle of Milford.
Since 1968, the first Saturday in May has come to mean one thing to the city— the Trout Derby. On Saturday, May 5, 2018, the Milford Striped Bass Club will mark the 50th anniversary of its premier event, a morning of fun and fishing for children 15 years and younger. The upper and lower duck ponds are stocked with trout and the only thing a child has to do is point his or her fishing rod in the right direction, drop the line, cross their fingers and wait…and if the fishing gods are on their side, within a few minutes, they’ll be yelling, “Fish On!”
Jen Lalond and her husband Shawn have co-chaired the Derby for more than a decade. “One of the great things about the day is that kids get to feel the excitement of catching a fish all on their own. It’s a great, fun way for kids to learn how to fish,” says Jen. While she doesn’t guarantee that every child will catch a fish, she says, “we make sure the ponds are well stocked. The odds are pretty good. We don’t like to see upset kids, we want them to come back year after year for more and get excited about fishing. My husband and I both fished at the derby as kids and we’re still here. She adds, “Our 11-year-old nephew Anakin loves it and says he can’t wait for it.”
The Trout Derby is open to all comers; there are no fees and no registration required. And, like any good fishing day, the Derby starts early—6:30 a.m.—and runs until 9:30 a.m. Beginning at 9:45 there is a casting competition. There are awards and trophies for largest catch and longest line throw. Prizes include tackle, tackle boxes, and fishing nets.
The Milford Striped Bass Club was started in the 1960s by 12 men with a common interest: fishing for striped bass. So how did a club born out of a love for salt water bass fishing come to sponsor a fresh water trout competition for kids? The Trout Derby began when former Milford resident Bob Mahoney noticed that the ponds in town weren’t being used by the local kids for fishing. He got together with fellow resident Pete Herbert and they came up with an idea. They both chipped in $50 to stock the pond with 120 trout and put an ad in the local paper. They were expecting a few dozen kids at most, but when 300 showed up the Milford Trout Derby was born. Fifty years later it is still going strong.
For Milford’s Derby Day to be a success, and ensure there are enough fish for the hundreds of families who turn out, the Milford Striped Bass Club uses the Harding Trout Fishery in Bethlehem. The night before the event, the hatchery loads about 800 brown, rainbow, and brook trout into their custom truck and delivers them into Milford’s upper pond. Obviously, the cost of stocking the ponds has increased over the years. “Every year the price for the fish go up,” says Jen Lalond. These days, she says, “it costs about $9,000 just for the fish. Then we have trophies and prizes for the competitions and goody bags for the kids. We also have to have the ponds dredged to make room for the trout, so without our sponsors, like Dulin Auto, Bobby J’s Bait and Tackle, and all the other tackle shops around here, plus donations and all the volunteers, we couldn’t pull it off.”
Early Saturday morning on May 5th, some kids will be catching their first fish. Their Moms and Dads and siblings will be with them and they will feel great joy. Maybe they won’t really know why, but in 50 years when the Trout Derby turns 100 years old, they will still remember that day.
—Gerry McGuire
