Sunday was a family affair for Jason and Heather Newhouse of Youngstown, who took their two children and niece to Mammoth Park Lake in Mt. Pleasant Township for the fishing derby sponsored by Westmoreland County.
Jason Newhouse, 10-year-old twins Sophia and Caleb, along with his nephew Adyson Vought, 11, of Latrobe, ventured somewhere nearby along the lake.
“I was biting, but not landing. I don’t want anything,” said Newhouse.
The Newhouse clan was among 323 people — 191 adults and 132 children age 15 and younger — who registered to win prizes in the five-hour fishing derby sponsored by the county Bureau of Parks and Recreation and the Westmoreland County Sportsmen’s League. In friendly competition, prizes and trophies are awarded for catch of the day, longest trout, longest carp and longest fish, other than trout or carp.
The unseasonably warm weather was likely a factor in the good turnout, said Chris Panichella, parks coordinator for the county’s parks and recreation bureau. It’s better than last year, when temperatures were below freezing, Panichella said.
“This is the best weather we’ve had in a while,” he said.
Landing fish to qualify for trophies and prizes was made easier Sunday because the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission stocked the lake with a variety of trout Friday, Panichella said.
This is the first of three fishing derbies sponsored by the parks and recreation bureau and the sportsmen’s league. The Northmoreland Park Fishing Derby in Allegheny Township is set for May 19 and the Twin Lakes Park Fishing Derby east of Greensburg is for June 16. The Twin Lakes derby falls on Father’s Day, which usually draws a large crowd, Panichella said.
Newhouse’s nephew Adyson, who has been fishing for two years, was lucky enough to catch a fish that measured about 12⅞ inches. Sophia Newhouse, a fishing veteran, landed one of a similar size.
“I’ve been fishing since I could hold a pole,” Sophia Newhouse said.
“They love fishing. That’s what they want to do,” said Heather Vought, about her children’s passion for sports. Heather admits that she is an observer, rather than a participant, and her husband cleans the fish when it comes time to eat their catch.
One of the bigger catches was by Andrew Grubbs, 18, of North Hutingdon, who caught his 13-inch long rainbow trout on orange PowerBait. It was one of two fish Grubbs caught around noon.
Grubbs, who will graduate from Norwin High School next month, said he likes to fish Indian Park Lake in North Huntingdon and Twin Lakes Park.
Among those fishing the lake’s spillway was Jeremy Newill of Youngstown, who described the shallow pool that holds the water that flows over the dam as “not a bad place.”
The county sportsmen’s league, a coalition of nine county sportsmen’s clubs, has sponsored the event since the 1970s, said Deborah Overly of Unity, the group’s president. It’s a way to get young people out and enjoying the outdoors.
“We do it for the kids,” Overly said.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked for the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at [email protected].
