Fishing derbies in Pennsylvania are conducted according to species and seasons. Derbies are different from tournaments in that fishing derbies have educational or entertainment benefits, while fishing tournaments are competitions in which anglers try to out-fish each other for trophies or cash prizes.
Some Pennsylvania fishing derbies do involve prizes, but they are charity events rather than competitions. Participants are usually special populations such as anglers with disabilities, senior citizens or youths under the age of 16.
Regulations
Pennsylvania fishing derbies must not be held on opening day of fishing season for any species of game fish, nor may they be held during closed season for that species. Unless a derby is being conducted on a private pond closed to public use or is expected to have fewer than 10 participants, sponsors must submit, at least 60 days in advance, an application for a Special Activity Permit, using form PFBC-500.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission must be informed of the date, time and place of a fishing derby and whether it involves stocking any fish in any given location. Some derbies use tagged fish, which are forbidden in some bodies of water in Pennsylvania.
Fishing derbies in Pennsylvania must also adhere to strict rules about the care of catch-and-release bass. Livewells must be maintained on each boat used in the derby to keep fish alive until they can be weighed and release. Distressed or dead fish cannot be returned to the water.
St. Leo Derby
The Sixth Annual St. Leo Fishing Derby in 2010 is a benefit for St. Leo School in Ridgeway. It includes a kids-only Mini Derby. All anglers are encouraged to practice catch-and-release although the state does not have the same strict regulations for trout as it does for bass.
St. Leo is a Trout Derby held over a Saturday and Sunday in April. Although camping is not permitted along the trout stream, the Firemen's Grounds are open for campers at $5 per night.
Pymatuning Lake Kids Fishing Derby
In August, the Pymatuning Lake Association sponsors a free fishing derby for kids. Pymatuning Lake is situated on the border between Ohio and Pennsylvania and stocked with a wide variety of fish. The PLA sponsors the Habitat Building Project in lake communities such as Espyville, where the derby is held, Linesville and Jamestown.
The Pymatuning is one of the most popular fishing derbies in Pennsylvania, with 400 to 500 youngsters competing each year, representing three age groups and seven categories of fish. Ages 2-5, 6-10 and 11-15 are awarded prizes for most fish caught as well as largest bass, bluegill, carp, catfish, crappie, perch and walleye.
EPSFA Big Fish Derby
The Erie Pennsylvania Sport Fishing Association sponsors an educational fishing derby that runs from mid-April to the end of December. It is designed to educate the public and protect the habitat of two species from the Pennsylvania waters of Lake Erie. The spring-summer derby is for walleye and the fall-winter debate is for steelhead.
Only EPSFA members may participate in the Big Fish Derby, but it is easy to become a member and your membership dues as well as a percentage of your derby entrance fees go for a good cause: educating, enhancing and promoting sport fishing in Lake Erie, Presque Isle Bay and their Pennsylvania tributaries.
County Fishing Derbies
Fishing derbies in Pennsylvania are held in many counties as healthy, fun and educational events to bring communities together. Westmoreland County had three in April, May and June of 2010, sponsored by the Westmoreland County Sportsmen's League, Radio 1480 WCNS and Gander Mountain. They were open to all ages, with trophies and prizes to both youth and adults, as a way of informing the public about fishing in county parks.
In other fishing derbies in Pennsylvania, Clearfield County has a 35-year tradition in its annual Kid's Fishing Derby in the Pennsylvania Wilds at Parker Dam State Park. It is open to everyone up to 13 years of age, with prizes sponsored by the Central Counties Concerned Sportsmen's Association.
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