WASHINGTON CITY — Trout in the small pond at Sullivan Virgin River Soccer Park didn’t know what hit them as more than 300 children from Washington and Garfield county schools descended on the fishing hole with gusto.
The kids, on the other hand, gleefully cast their lines and cheered whenever a friend or classmate hooked a fish. The young anglers’ faces would light up as they began to reel in each catch, some posing proudly with their haul while others preferred to keep their distance once the fish was on shore.
Seven years after it was established, the Southern Utah Anglers’ annual Special Needs Fishing Derby had returned after a two-year absence imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“If you walk around the pond and see the kids – especially if they get an opportunity to catch a fish and most of them will – their reaction is something special,” said Rick Rosenberg, Santa Clara mayor and member of the regional fishing club. “These are neat kids, and they’re excited to be here. It’s just a nice break to get out of the classroom, come outside and experience nature.”
Buses began to arrive shortly before 10 a.m. on Monday morning, delivering kids of all ages and ability levels to the urban fishery. Whether they experienced physical or intellectual challenges, each child with special needs was accompanied by a peer mentor, parent or teacher.
That meant Southern Utah Anglers and their partners for the event – including the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Dominion Energy – had prepared to feed, outfit and assist around 600 guests for the four-hour fishing derby.
Johnny Neil, wildlife recreation specialist for the state’s Southern Region Office, led a contingent of around eight division employees volunteering at the event, including conservation officers, biologists and other staff.
Neil and other volunteers spent their time moving around the pond to help kids rig poles, bait hooks and net each catch.
“We’re always excited to get involved with anything that promotes being outdoors, fishing or hunting and this is one of those events,” Neil said. “I think this event is really special because it gives kids that maybe don’t have as much opportunity to get outside and go fishing that opportunity in an area where they can have a lot of help to maybe land their first fish ever.”
While most groups came from schools in the St. George metropolitan area, a small band of kids and their helpers drove almost two hours from their home in Garfield County.
Rosenberg said students from Panguitch have been participating in the Southern Utah derby almost as long as it’s been held, and they were excited to return when they heard the event was announced for this year.
“We’ve done these derbies since the mid-90s,” Rosenberg said. “As soon as St. George City started creating these urban fisheries, we started doing derbies. There’s a real community effort that goes into this, so these fishing derbies we do in the spring are some of the most fun events we do all year.”
Monday’s activity for children with special needs follows an open derby held on Saturday at the Tawa Ponds in St. George. Many of the local fishing events are organized by Southern Utah Anglers, an informal organization of about 60 local sportsmen dedicated to promoting fishing and community service.
Ultimately, the hope that Rosenberg, Neil and others expressed was for students to come away from the derby feeling empowered with new skills and with happy memories of trying something new.
Art Montanesi, a Dominion energy operation specialist, said he and his coworkers were happy to return to the event and offer help because of what it means for the kids and how it makes him feel to help.
“I always volunteer for this,” Montanesi said. “These young kids are going to be our next generation, so they need life experiences like this. And to see the smiles on their faces is just pure joy. That’s what life is all about.”
Photo Gallery
Rainbow trout was the catch of the day for excited elementary school students from Washington County and Garfield County schools that participated in Monday's special needs fishing derby, Washington City, Utah, March 28, 2022 | Photo by Ammon Teare, St. George News Many volunteers said the best part of helping with the special needs fishing derby was seeing the excitement of kids trying the sport for the first time, Washington City, Utah, March 28, 2022 | Photo by Ammon Teare, St. George News Volunteers with the Southern Utah Anglers have organized community fishing derbies since the organization was founded in the mid-1990s, Washington City, Utah, March 28, 2022 | Photo by Ammon Teare, St. George News A boy and his friend proudly show off their catch prior to releasing the rainbow trout back into the Sullivan Virgin River Park pond, Washington City, Utah, March 28, 2022 | Photo by Ammon Teare, St. George News Conservation officers with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources volunteered to assist with the fishing derby alongside biologists and recreation specialists in the division, Washington City, Utah, March 28, 2022 | Photo by Ammon Teare, St. George News Children with special needs were able to fish alongside their peer helpers with the assistance of community volunteers and partner agencies like the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Washington City, Utah, March 28, 2022 | Photo by Ammon Teare, St. George News Conservation officers with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources volunteered to assist with the fishing derby alongside biologists and recreation specialists in the division, Washington City, Utah, March 28, 2022 | Photo by Ammon Teare, St. George News Art Montanesi, operation specialist with Dominion Energy, volunteered at the Special Needs Fishing Derby by rigging fishing lines and coaching the kids that participated, Washington City, Utah, March 28, 2022 | Photo by Ammon Teare, St. George News
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