The 20th annual Joe Scholtz Memorial Fishing Derby finished on Saturday with approximately 200 participants.
“It’s a wonderful event,” Jim Hall said. “I’m glad I have the ability to come down here and do it because it’s a fun time. I’ve only missed one since it started 20 years ago. Also, I love the food at the end.”
The event started at Leppien Park and the Saint Louis Dam before expanding to Penny Park and the athletic field.
“This is my first time at this event,” Joe Dickerson said. “But I’ve been fishing here for around 30 years. I wanted to bring my son out since we love to fish.”
The derby was named after Scholtz six years ago in 2012.
“Joe’s family ran it for a couple of years after he had passed,” Adam Musselman said. “Then they passed it on to the Saint Louis Alma Lions Club, and some of us got involved.”
Scholtz died seven years ago, so his memory lives on with the event.
“This is our 20th event,” Gary Smith said. “Joe Scholtz started it all to create awareness for the river. He was part of our Pine River Superfund Citizen Task Force. We’re trying to get all of this stuff cleaned up to keep it from being contaminated.”
An array of prizes including fishing equipment and other sporting goods were donated and are handed out to all participants.
“The kids are the best part,” Donna Kelley said. “They seem to have fun and they enjoy the prizes and t-shirts.”
Individual winners get a trophy and a signed plaque from mayor, James Kelly.
“I wanted the prizes to be age-appropriate,” Musselman said. “A five-year-old kid doesn’t need a cooler, so I have plenty of things for them to choose from.”
0-6, 7-12, 13-18 and adults were the designated age groups.
“I used to just donate bobbers and worms,” he said. “Somehow now I’m doing all this, but it’s all worth it. It’s a great community event, and I’m glad to be involved.”
Monte Reichard of Reichard Insurance donated the trophies for Saturday’s winners.
“The weather doesn’t help much today,” Smith said. “But it’s still a fun event. There’s nothing like getting a picture of a kid who caught his first ever fish and you see nothing but his teeth and a big smile. A fisherman is born every time that happens.”