The city of Greeley’s Fishing Derby is returning, combining the outdoors with some friendly competition.
The derby, which was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will kick off at 8 a.m. and run through noon on Saturday at Sanborn Park, 2031 28th Ave., in Greeley. Registration begins 7:30 a.m. Participants do not need a fishing license to participate in the free event.
“I don’t think a lot of people go out fishing because they have to get a license or have to have all of this stuff — and they aren’t guaranteed to catch a fish,” Brecken Arnold, Greeley Recreation supervisor, said. “We just want moms and dads to bring their kids out to have the opportunity to catch a fish and win some prizes and just have a good day out with their families.”
Anglers ages 5 and older are invited to participate for a chance to win one of several categories including biggest fish, smallest fish and most fish caught. Prizes will be handed out every half-hour throughout the event including a raffle for two bikes — one for a boy and one for a girl.
The annual derby has taken place for more than 20 years, Arnold said.
“The derby is an awesome way to teach kids about fishing and the fun of being outdoors,” Dominique Padilla, Greeley Recreation coordinator, said.
The city will stock the pond prior to the derby to help increase participants’ odds of catching a fish.
“The Division of Wildlife goes out there two weeks prior to acclimate the fish,” Arnold explained. “I know there have been rainbow trout and trout.”
If you haven’t attended the derby before, or have never fished before, the Greeley Tribune’s high school sports reporter and avid angler, Bobby Fernandez, has some tips to help make your time at the event a success.
When it comes to bait, Fernandez recommends using small pieces of worms like night crawlers.
“There’s not right or wrong answer, but at a derby like this, and you are fishing with younger kids and to make sure the kids catch something, I like to go with something that every type of fish will bite,” he explained. “A full-sized night crawler might be a little too big for a bluegill or crappie. All you really need to do is use enough to cover up the hook.”
If you aren’t into getting your hands grimy with worms, you can also opt for a small, fast-moving spinner lure or spoon.
“For kids that may not have the patience to sit there with their worm and bobber, waiting for their bobber to go down, they may want something with constant action, going with something small like a spinner or little spoon, that’s something that anything in that pond will bite,” Fernandez said.
The derby is also a good time to try your hand at fly-fishing.
“You can use a small little surface fly or a small dry fly because a bass will bite that, trout will bite that, bluegill, crappie,” Fernandez said.
“I think if you are really trying to catch fish, just downsizing to the smaller is better,” he said. “The smaller baits, the smaller lures, will catch anything where bigger baits might catch you the biggest fish of the derby, but it won’t catch the more plentiful, smaller fish that are in there.”
The popular old-school fishing tactic of squirting WD-40 onto your bait before casting it into the lake doesn’t really do anything other than mask the scent of your hands and oil from your fingers, Fernandez said. Using the chemical probably isn’t the most environmentally friendly thing to do either.
“They do make manufactured scents that are much more environmentally friendly,” he said. “Any of these scents they make for fishing, all they do is mask your scent There are certain scents that drive fish away like insect repellant, perfume and cologne. But I don’t really feel like fish are attracted to the scent of WD-40.”
Above anything, Fernandez says having confidence in your choice of bait and skills, as well as making the event fun, are the biggest tips to being a successful angler.
“I’ve always felt that when it comes to fishing, you just have to have confidence. I think that really changes your whole potential and outlook when you are out fishing,” he said. “There are so many ways to catch any type of fish. If you’re having fun in what you are doing, you’re going to have a better chance of catching fish than if you are overdoing it.”
Attendees participating in the derby can bring out coolers with food and non-alcoholic beverages. Chairs and blankets are also recommended.
Participants are not required to wear a mask, but they may do so if they choose.
“Knowing that it is an outdoor event, we will be having families distance themselves 6 feet apart from people not in their household,” Arnold said. “We just want people to come out and have fun.”
For more information on the Greeley Fishing Derby, go to www.greeleyrec.com or call the Rodarte Community Center at (970) 350-9430.
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