SPRING LAKE — Eager young fishers from all around Spring Lake and beyond grabbed their rods and headed to the lake on Saturday to compete for the biggest catch at the Shark River Surf Anglers’ annual Kids Trout Contest.
After an 8 a.m. shotgun blast signaled the start of the competition, fishers wasted no time casting their lines.
With a 5-pound, 5-ounce tiger trout, Justin Carrey, 12, was ultimately the winner across all age groups.
Over the course of the day, more than 300 fish were caught, said contest chairman Greg Hueth. After the contest is over, he said, the trout that remain uncaught will stay in the lake where they can provide a challenge for local anglers throughout the year.
The day was cloudy at many points, but also sunny at others. Most importantly, it was rain free.
Though adults present could fish as well in certain parts of the lake if they wanted, the event as a whole was geared toward the children. Youth fishers competed in the following groups: 5 years and younger, 6 to 9 years, 10 to 12 and 13 to 15.
Each year, the contest is offered entirely free of charge, supported by donations from numerous fishing groups around the area as well as commercial sponsors. Even the prizes, said Mr. Hueth, come from other fishing groups. The prizes included a bicycle, gift certificates, a fishing trip and more.
He told The Coast Star that in addition to the prizes for winners, every child who participated could get a goodie bag to take home, and each child who caught a fish would get a rod.
Check out our other Spring Lake stories, updated daily. And remember to pick up a copy of The Coast Star—on newsstands Thursday or online in our e-Edition.
This is an excerpt of the print article. For more on this story, read The Coast Star—on newsstands Thursday or online in our e-Edition.
Subscribe today! If you're not already an annual subscriber to The Coast Star, get your subscription today! For just $38 per year, you will receive local mail delivery weekly, with pages and pages of local news and online access to our e-edition on Starnewsgroup.com.