Kids do well at Van Hook Fishing Derby
Kids do well at Van Hook Fishing Derby
By Jerry W. Kram
Sixty four teams that included 162 kids participated in the the 25th Annual Van Hook Kids Fishing Derby. The teams brought in an estimated total of 686 pounds of fish, averaging more than 10 pounds per team.
Joanie Boser is a long time resident of Van Hook and a former board member of the Van Hook Association. She said the derby was started because years ago few people in the area took their children fishing.
“We were always the only one out on the water with kids in the boat,” Boser said. “At the time I was on the board of the association and said that we needed a nice family derby.”
The only firm rule, besides those required by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, is that every team has to have at least one child in the boat, Boser said.
The 2013 derby was one of the best ever. The derby drew just 30 or so people when it first started. This year’s tournament had more than double that many entries that averaged nearly three children per team. During the weigh in at Van Hook Park, the trucks and boat trailers stretched around the block as each team registered their six best fish
