NORWAY — Saturday was catch-and-release day for turtles inadvertently taking bait while 85 youngsters armed with fishing poles tried to catch newly stocked brook trout in the Lake Pennesseewassee Stream pool at Butters Park.
Temperatures in the 80s likely kept 172 of the 175 fish from biting during the second annual Norway Family Fishing Festival between Main and Water streets, Debra Partridge, Norway Parks and Recreation director, said. Only three fish were caught.
“Unfortunately, it was such a warm day that not many of them were biting,” she said.
“There would be a school of fish and three children would drop lines and not one of them would bite today. There were two turtle sightings. One was a painted and the other one was a snapper. Actually, one of the turtles was the first catch of the day.”
Despite the low catch rate, more than 40 volunteers helped make the festival a big success.
“We had another great year,” Partridge said. “We had 85 children this year. It was a very educational day. A lot of people were coming for the very first time to learn how to fish.”
Schiavi Homes spent $600 to buy fishing poles to give to participating children who didn’t have one. Several children brought the free pole they received at last year’s event or their own fishing poles. Children also received free tackle boxes with fishing gear.
Held from 8 a.m. to noon, the event is a collaboration of the Norway Recreation Department, the Mollyockett Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the Norway-Paris Fish and Game Association.
Among the many offerings, Trout Unlimited held fly casting and fly tying sessions, the Bryant Pond 4-H showed animal pelts, Western Foothills Land Trust members taught children fish origami, Zizi Vlaun of the Center for an Ecology-Based Economy in Norway painted fish on children’s faces, Fred Garbo showed off his all-electric Nissan Leaf car and the Norway Lakes Association taught people how to check their boats for invasive plants.
Additionally, Healthy Oxford Hills brought their very popular bike blender so people could ride the bike, which operates the blender and makes smoothies.
The festival coincided with Saturday’s and Sunday’s Free Fishing Days in Maine. Anyone in the state, except those whose licenses are suspended or revoked, can fish without a license.
“Next year, we will be back on the same weekend as the free fishing weekend,” Partridge said. “We’ll always go for that weekend. Where (the festival) is such a success, it’s definitely something we want to keep going.”
Many of the brook trout the children were trying to catch were about a foot long, said Partridge.
Five-year-old Breanna of Norway said she enjoys casting her worm-baited line and made some very long casts with her hot pink fishing pole. Her mother said Breanna and her 8-year-old sister, Sierra, go fishing a lot with their grandfather.
Angler Tony Jordan of Woodstock again brought his 5-year-old son, Xavier, to the event. He caught fish last year, but not this year. Jordan said the festival is a wonderful idea.
“I think it’s great to get kids interested in getting outside and involved in nature,” he said.
Originally held in Bethel at Angevine Park, it was moved to Butters Park in Norway last year after organizers could no longer hold it in Bethel. The change in venue proved to be a much larger success than expected.
“It’s a very big success,” Partridge said. “Everybody loves it. Not many Main Streets have a fishing hole, so we’re very fortunate there. A lot of people have come and learned a lot and that’s our purpose — to be an educational day and to get children fishing.”
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