Havre Rotary Club Fishing Derby returns Sunday

Father's Day this year, Sunday, June 20, will see the return of the Havre Rotary Club's annual Fishing Derby at Rotary Lake in Beaver Creek Park after its cancellation last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brian Lilletvedt, one of the event's organizers, said signup and registration for the event begins at noon and fishing begins at 1 p.m. and ends at 3 p.m.

Lilletvedt said the event is free for children who will be divided into two categories, younger than 10 and 10 to 15.

He said the categories for the competition are fairly traditional with awards going to those who catch the most fish, the biggest fish and so on. However, he said, they will also have awards for people who catch the most suckers.

"We love seeing people catch them and get them out of there," he said.

He said Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks sometimes stocks the lake in preparation for the event depending on the conditions and it seems like 2021 will not be one of those year, but that's not a problem.

"There's still quite a few fish in there," he said.

The derby was canceled last year due to the pandemic and, this year, the food at the event will be a little different, with free snacks and soda replacing the burgers and hotdogs it would normally have, Lilletvedt said, but otherwise the event will be as people remember it.

He said the club decided against the traditional burgers and hotdogs because cooking and giving them out makes social distancing harder, so having snacks people can just take is easier.

"We didn't feel like (burgers and hotdogs) was a good idea this year," he said.

This event has been a local staple of Father's Day since the '60s and 2020 was only its second cancellation in history.

Lilletvedt said the first cancellation was during the replacement of the bridge at the lake, which the club felt was a hazard to participants, so they canceled the event.

He said he's not sure how COVID-19 will affect attendance this year, but they are hoping for a good turnout. He said 50 to 60 children is a good year for the event.

Lilletvedt said the derby is open to children of all skill and experience levels, and parents are encouraged to assist, especially with less experienced participants.

"Some kids know how to cast, some kids it will be a disaster if they try," he said.

He said people will be available to help measure catches and give the data to the announcer, who will announce each catch along with the name of the child who catches it.

He said the children will be set up around the lake and fishing will begin at 1 p.m., and participants have two hours to catch their fish.

The event is scheduled that way so it won't interfere with other Father's Day activities families may have, Lilletvedt said.