S. ABINGTON TWP. — Six-year-old Isabella Lutz and her 8-year-old cousin, both of Scranton, each caught a catfish of eight-and-a-half inches in length. They knew it wasn’t the same catfish because one had dots on it and the other one didn’t.
The young fisherpersons They were fishing with their grandmother, Kathy Portalatin, at the Eston Wilson Lake of Hillside Park on a sunny Saturday morning on June 10 where they competed in the Eighth Annual Forever Young Fishing Derby.
Children and their families enjoyed a day of fishing, food cooked on the grill, raffle baskets, and a lot of fun. They surrounded the lake to try their luck at catching a big one and, when they caught something, they used a bucket or whatever they were able to find to carry the fish over to judges Tom Kreidler and Bob Kester, who measured the fish. The only thing they couldn’t get measured were bass because they weren’t in season. A total of 167 fish, including catfish, trout, and rainbow trout, were measured that day.
“It’s good,” 11-year-old Michelle Kostik, of Mount Cobb, said about the derby, “I like the raffle baskets, the food and catching fish.”
Michelle was fishing with her sister, Alexandra, and their father, John. They learned of this event by a website with a list of fishing derbies. Michelle won first place in her age group (10-15) for catching a rainbow trout that measured 12 1/4 inches. Timothy Staples, Jr., of Clarks Summit, won for his age category (0-5) for catching an 11-inch trout and Scranton resident Mariah Silverman’s 12-inch rainbow trout was the biggest fish in her age group of 6-9.
Pavel Vorzilchak, of Scranton, won two trophies and a flat screen TV for the one 12 1/2 inch catfish he caught. His fish was the Catch of the Day, the biggest fish overall. It also earned him the Bud Award, in which the prize was the flat-screen TV, for being the first fish closest to 13 inches.
“It’s great and we come every year,” Pavel said about the derby. “We look forward to it.”
The Bud Award is in memory of Lawrence “Bud” Young, whose wife, Linda, coordinates the fishing derby. The award is given to the fish closest to 13 inches because the number 13 was very prominent in Bud’s life. He was born on May 13, he and Linda were married on May 26 (two times 13), they were married 13 years and Bud died on April 13. Bud loved fishing and loved to take his family fishing. A photo of him was displayed on the Hillside Park pavilion.
The Lawrence E. Young Funeral Home, which Bud owned, donated the bait. Sickler’s Bike & Sports Shop donated bicycles, which were awarded to the winners of each age group. J & B Printing made brochures, flyers and posters to advertise the derby. Nina’s donated pizza. Volunteer Tim Hewitt, owner of ExecuSource, donated the rest of the food and beverages. The hamburgers and hot dogs were grilled by the Masons of Waverly Lodge #301, of which Bud was a member. Masons David Hastie, Mike Hughes, and Steve Sherman also put up the tent, which housed the prizes, and donated cash to pay for the derby’s expenses.
“There’s nothing like seeing the kids enjoying themselves,” said Hastie. “The look on their faces when they catch the fish are enjoyable.”
The Abington Heights Civic League vended the foods, including baked goods such as cookies, Rice Krispies treats and brownies.
“It’s nice to be able to support a project that supports the community,” said Sue O’Day, AHCL member and food booth chairman of the derby.
Proceeds from food as well as the raffle baskets will go to adding plants and flowers to the memory garden, which Linda built near the dock of Eston Wilson Lake to honor the memory of Bud’s friends and derby volunteers who have passed away. Besides the Waverly Lodge #301, Bud was also a member of the Abington Lions Club.
Linda always enjoys coordinating the Forever Young Fishing Derby and appreciates assistance from local businesses and organizations who help her organize it.
“I think it gets better every year,” said Linda. “I’m forever grateful for all his (Bud’s) friends and all the organizations Bud belonged to.”
Michelle Kostik, 11, of Mount Cobb, won a trophy and a bike for catching the biggest fish in her age range.
