NORTH RIDGEVILLE, OH – The Annual Corn Festival for 2016 was plagued with rain and poor weather. We were fortunate though, that Saturday morning’s kid’s fishing derby had near perfect weather, maybe even the best half day of the entire weekend. I guess it’s just proof that God loves fisherman! In all seriousness, I was pleased with the forecast and happy that Bryce woke up eager to go to the event. The derby was organized by the North Ridgeville Fishing Club, some of the nicest folks you can meet. My son and I have attended other events they have been affiliated with, and always have had a great time. Today would be no exception. I will say attendance was down for this event, I think likely due to impending late day weather, and a lot of people were cheated of a great day of making memories.
Bryce stopped for a picture with Mike, who got no rest from my son all day
There was not a new stocking of fish for the event, and overall, the fishing was slow. We did have enough Bluegill biting to keep us occupied and provided some fun. We also were catching some crayfish which entertained Bryce more than fish. My son ‘adopted’ a couple of volunteers, Mike and Karen, who got little rest as he would yell for them to come over regardless of whether we had a new catch. They were good sports about it, and Bryce soaked up the attention.
A Snapping Turtle that we somehow landed on 6# test line
The highlight of our rod and reel action was what I thought was going to be a nice heavy fish. Bryce was manning the rod and it had a considerable bend, much bigger than the Bluegill we were catching. As he reeled it in, it came into view and I could tell it was a Snapping Turtle. I used the metal rod holder to hoist it onto shore to get a few pictures, before letting it head back into the water. It was Bryce’s first turtle catch and quite the surprise!
Bryce wins a fishing pole!
One happy and very proud kid
When the whistle sounded ending the event, Bryce had caught the most fish in his age group. This earned him a cool new blue Zebco fishing rod. The only thing that had his attention more than the crayfish, was this new prize. He was super excited and made sure everyone heard all of his fishing stories from the day. He needs to work on being humble, but that’s a tough concept at 4 years old.
All I can say about this group photo is, “yep, that’s my son”
There were plenty of group photos where Bryce posed appropriately, but the photo above cracks me up. Like a conquering hero, this is how he wanted to hold his new rod. Amongst his 4 year old peers, I do somehow think he convinced them the rod was even more awesome – because of how he held it. My next big catch, I think I’m going to strike this pose with the rod, after the release.
Bryce with Keriann (from the Corn Festival Committee), reviewing an ODNR fish booklet
It was a day well spent with my son, catching crayfish, fish, and even a turtle. We won something, ate some good festival food, and made new friends. A big thank you to the North Ridgeville Corn Festival Committee (Corn Festival Website) and the North Ridgeville Fishing Club (NRFC Website) for the great time! If there is a fishing event on the schedule next year, we will be there!
coolwaterfish.com 
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