Big catches, big fun at annual trout rodeo

KENNETT SQUARE >> There were plenty of trout ready to bite in the park on Saturday morning, and the anglers were there to take advantage of the previous day’s stocking.

On Friday, Larry Kurtzhals from Cherry Grove Trout Hatchery in Stroudsburg drove in during the morning’s rain and delivered about 700 brook, rainbow, brown and golden trout to the representatives of the Brandywine Red Clay Alliance and Kennett Area Park Authority, sponsors of the 22nd annual trout rodeo in Anson B. Nixon Park.

Bucketful by bucketful they transferred the trout from the truck to the lakes.

On Friday, the stocking was carried out under wet conditions, but by Saturday the weather improved enough to host several hundred parents and kids encircling the lakes for the event.

By the looks of it, many of the previous day’s stocking ended up on the hooks of Saturday’s participants.

One angler even came face-to-face with a large snapping turtle that made a leaping effort to take the fisherman’s catch for its own lunch. Another reported catching a 22-inch trout.

There were prizes for the biggest fish and the heaviest catch in age categories, and four of those fish were specially tagged for a prize.

At the pavilion on the hill beside the lakes, organizers weighed the fish for prizes and cooked hot dogs for refreshments.

Throughout the years, the trout rodeo has become a popular event, attracting regulars to return years after year.

The proceeds for the trout rodeo are used for park maintenance, according to a press release from the Brandywine Red Clay Alliance.

CHRIS BARBER — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Alex Weeks, great-grandson of the late Avon Grove Athletic Director Al Weeks, shows off his catch at the trout rodeo in Kennett Square on Saturday.