Good crowd, big prizes at fishing derby for kids

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BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The Bloomfield FOP 214, a union which represents a portion of the Bloomfield police force, held a fishing derby at Clark’s Pond on Saturday morning, May 14.

The event was coordinated by Det. Anthony Picciano. Twenty-six sponsors donated about $3,000, of which $1,800 went to stock the pond with 200 trout and bass. The funds also purchased the necessary insurance coverage and prizes for the angling small fry. Refreshments were also on hand.

Picciano said the police formerly held a similar fishing derby but it was discontinued.

“The state at one time stocked the pond but that stopped, too,” he said.
Picciano had approached the director of recreation, Mike Sceurman, who thought the derby was a good idea. According to Picciano, the Bloomfield Department of Public Works and Parks, with the recreation department, also helped out by grooming the area for the derby with a little weed wacking.

Picciano also credited the Friends of Clark’s Pond for making the pond a beautiful area to visit. Over the years, the organization has been responsible for planting a nearly impenetrable border of indigenous trees between the nearby playing fields of Bloomfield Middle School and the pond. This screen provides habitat for wildlife and seclusion for anyone seeking respite.

The derby was scheduled from 8 to 11 a.m. At 9:30 a.m., 51 children had registered to fish. Along with the kids came the parents, so the the event was well-attended. The sky responded to the enthusiasm with perfectly beautiful weather. A couple of bicycles were given for the largest fish caught and gift cards to other fishers, including the child who made the first catch of the day.

From a quick visual survey, worms and salmon eggs seemed to be the bait of choice with no one using lures. No fly fisherman were immediately in sight, either. Effort was made to extricate hooks from the mouths of captive fish and the fish were then returned to the pond, a little wiser. According to Picciano, among the fish stocked was a 10-pound rainbow trout and two golden trout.

Clark’s Pond is man-made, created by damming the Third River. At one time, it was owned by Clark’s Thread Co. Residents, old enough to remember, said summer bathers would leave the pond the color of the thread being manufactured that day.

The fishing derby winners, as provided by Picciano, were Christopher Kopacz, who received a $50 gift card. The largest fish was caught by Jacy Duggan. He received a bicycle. The second largest fish was hooked by Adrian Macdonald who also received a bicycle.

Dominick Tiarano caught the third largest fish and got a $50 card. The fourth largest fish belonged to Jaden Duggen who received a $25 gift card. There was also a prize for the fifth largest fish. That prize was a new fishing pole but the name of the child was not available.

The derby was not a fundraiser, Picciano said. The money collected and not used would be set aside for similar family-related events. And he pointed out that after the derby was over, there would still be reason for anglers to visit Clark’s Pond.
“The fish will still be here,” he said. “Where else can you catch a trout in Bloomfield?”

And the 10-pounder and two golden are still at large.