2013 held a lot of cherished fishing memories for me, but few more
memorable than two fantastic paddling focused tournaments here in New
Brunswick. The NB Paddler's Derby and the Hammond River Classic are
two friendly, participation-oriented tournaments welcoming to everyone;
amateur or pro, young or old alike. They are also the only two tournaments of their kind in all of the Maritimes!
The website I've put together for both of these tournaments is at: http://www.nbfishingderbies.com
These catch & release, multispecies tournaments are helds at
fantastic locations that offer a vast diversity of species, and thus one
needs to be able to adapt to several fishing techniques to have a
chance of doing well. But more important than that, these tournaments
off the chance for so many new anglers to catch a fish they handn't
caught before, and go home with memories that will last a lifetime.
Money raised from these tournaments go towards community associations
that focus on eductation, restoration, conservation and preservation of
our fish habitats and river systems. Without these organizations, we
would not have such pristine water ways to hold these great tournaments
in.
One new twist for this year, which I hope will bump our numbers, is
adding the option for parents to use a canoe or 2 man kayak and bring
their kids (up to the age of 10) and have the kids fish with the parent
as a single entry. There will be no extra cost, and the kids can
participate for just an hour, or the full day as they wish. If a
parent has 2 young kids, they can be interchanged mid way through the
day so that both can get some fishing in and win a special kids prize at
the end of the day.
Organizers from previous years who have devoted a lot of time and energy
into growing these events have needed to step down this year, so I've
volunteered to try my best to keep the events alive. Fortunately the
key sponser, Eco-Logical Adventures in Oromocto has committed to again
offering up a kayak to raffle away to one luck participant at each of
these two derbies. With this key sponsor in hand, the rest of the
pieces are falling into place.
With increased advertising, new sponsors, and some effort, I'm hoping to
grow the attendance to 100 participants between both derbies. The
goal, as we have had in past years, is for everyone one (especially the
kids) to go home with a prize that will grow their love of fishing and
keep them hooked into the sport. For this to be realized, I'll need to
really hit a home run with the sponsors!
Dates have been set, sponsors are starting to come in and the website is
up! I invite you to take a look, and if you have any feedback,
suggestions, or ideally sponsorships to help grow the prize pool, please
let me know.
Again, read more on the website, and be sure to register at: http://www.nbfishingderbies.com
