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BY GRACE DOVE BACK MOUNTAIN CORRESPONDENT
Thursday, February 03, 2000 Page: 13
PLYMOUTH TWP. – Saturday was a lucky day for George Nice. The Sweet Valley
resident reeled in the heaviest crappie at the Nanticoke Conservation Club’s
second annual Fishing Derby at Moon Lake Park. The hefty fish was one of four
crappies and two bass Nice coaxed into hitting on his hook, baited with
minnows. Nearly 100 anglers – 71 adults and 19 children – participated in the
derby, officials said. Competitors ages 16 and older paid a $5 entry fee.
Younger kids fished for free. The club offered prizes of $75 for the heaviest
trout, bass, crappie, perch and bluegill.
The club also presented a two-hour ice-fishing clinic for the kids, who
learned the basics of ice fishing and safety before the derby began. Nice and
his son-in-law, Scott Culver, used the same bait to land two crappies and a
bass on a tip-up. The pair said they regularly fish Lake Silkworth and other
area spots. A minnow was also the bait of choice for Bob Morris of Sweet
Valley, who hooked a 14-inch trout. The veteran ice angler said he fishes
frequently at Lake Silkworth and Sylvan Lake. Steven Evanitus and sons
Derrick, 6, and Steven Jr., 12, were especially well-outfitted for the day.
The trio set up a homemade portable wooden fishing shack where they bored
their holes in the ice. The shack fit neatly onto an old sled with metal
runners that Steven Sr. dragged back to their vehicle. Steven Jr. pulled a
second sled containing the rest of their equipment – and the three bass the
trio caught. “We go out every chance we get,” Steven Sr. said. “We do it a
lot,” Steven Jr. said. Several anglers set up hibachis to warm soup, coffee
and hot chocolate. Those without hibachis or propane cookers headed to the
boat launch for free coffee, hot cocoa, hot dogs and potato soup, served by
club members. And they traded tips on just about everything. While some swore
by tip-ups – short poles that they held and bobbed up and down in the water –
others preferred jigs, which hold the pole on a tripod, attached to a flag
that pops up when they get a bite. The baits – minnows, artificial lures,
salmon eggs and several types of grubs – were as varied as the techniques. The
fish didn’t seem to care. They gulped down everything but the lures. “You
have to fish about 18 inches off the bottom with a real lively minnow,” said
Pat Reardin, showing off the 64-ounce largemouth bass that was a contender for
a prize until a slightly larger fish beat it by several tenths of an ounce.
Founded in the mid-1940s, the 100-member club started the fishing derby four
years ago. Rain forced cancellation of the derby 1998 and 1999. Winners who
caught the heaviest fish were: Gerard Zippo, bass, 71.9 ounces; Henry Steuer,
trout, 17.24 ounces; Brian Rapchak, perch, 11.64 ounces; Walter Dzwileski,
bluegill, 16.14 ounces; and George Nice, crappie, 16.14 ounces. FOR THE BACK
MOUNTAIN LEADER/JOHN E. KASKO Mike and Steven Losh prepare to reel in a fish
during a fishing derby at Moon Lake Park on Saturday morning.