Catfishprovide‘familyfun’inMarysville
Saturday was one for the animals: In Marysville, residents headed to Ellis Lake as early as 5 a.m. to cast their fishing lines. A few hours later in Wheatland, furry, fourlegged friends marched down Main Street.
The Fishing Derby at Ellis Lake has been a community staple since 1947, and the lake was stocked full with 2,500 pounds of catfish for the taking.
Around 8:30 a.m., Anthony Furr and his daughter Lyla, 4, were practicing casting lines in hopes of catching a fish. Though Anthony has attended the event in years past, this was his daughter’s first year.
“Fishing is family fun,” Furr said. “I came to have fun with my daughter.”
When asked what her favorite part of fishing was, Lyla replied, “Casting!” Dad agreed: “She’s good at it.” Nicole Vaughn found some shade while her son Rayden baited and cast his line into the lake. She said each year they come to Ellis Lake early, and they usually attend with nieces and nephews as well.
“When they catch a fish, their faces are priceless,” Vaughn said.
Eddie Garcia watched as sons Neyvn, 6, and Anthony, 4, showed off the catfish they caught. He said they arrived around 5 a.m. “It’s fun for the kids,” Garcia said. And when asked if they will eat the catfish, Garcia said they will give it to grandpa to help cook it.
“Filet it, fry it, you can do anything,” he
said.
And posted in a spot under the shade, Arthur Merrill sat with his sons Arthur III and Travis, waiting for a bite.
“We needed to get away from the house,” Merrill said.
And Travis gave perhaps the most important piece of advice for the day: “It’s all about patience,” he said.