Lycoming County is blessed with numerous fine streams that can yield various types of fish — particularly trout.
In a bid to help get children interested in the bounty of these area waterways, the Consolidated Sportsmen of Muncy Creeks have, for about the past 25 years, conducted an annual “Kids’ Trout Derby” in a stream in the Picture Rocks area.
“For more than 60 years, the Consolidated Sportsmen of Muncy Creeks have been proud to support the great opportunities to enjoy hunting and fishing in our community here in eastern Lycoming County,” said Dayl McClintock, Consolidated Sportsmen of Muncy Creeks President. “I think I can speak for all of our volunteers that there is nothing better than seeing the smile and excitement of children catching their first fish and inspiring that next generation of anglers.”
He continued, “The annual Dick Harner Kids’ Trout Derby is the highlight of our year, and we are honored to provide this fun, free event for the children in our community. After two years of being unable to hold the Derby due to the pandemic, we’re thrilled to be back after last year’s successful Derby, and continue this great tradition in eastern Lycoming County. We hope families throughout our community are able to come out and join us the first Sunday of May for a great day on the water.”
Some background about this event and the organization.
According to McClintock, The Consolidated Sportsmen of Muncy Creeks was established as an all-volunteer-run organization in 1961 to enhance the fishing and hunting opportunities in the eastern end of Lycoming County, specifically in the Muncy Creek watershed.
Soon after its establishment, the Sportsmen became a member of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission’s Cooperative Nursery Program, where, annually, the organization is responsible for raising trout throughout the year, providing a clean, safe environment free from invasive species and diseases, and then stocking those fish in area streams that are all publicly accessible.
Early in the organization’s history, they established a trout derby on Muncy Creek at Picture Rocks Park but discontinued it after only a few events.
In the early 1990s, with a trout nursery already established just outside of Hughesville (now known as the Glen Faus Nursery), the club started a new project to build a second, permanent trout nursery to raise additional trout to support the area anglers and stock more fish in the streams of Lycoming and Sullivan Counties.
In 1995, what is now known as the Bob King Nursery, was established just outside of Picture Rocks. This new facility allowed the Sportsmen to expand its trout raising and stocking operations from 4,500 trout annually to 13,500 trout a year.
In 1996, with the additional trout available, the Sportsmen decided to hold its inaugural Kids’ Trout Derby, moving from Picture Rocks Park to Van Rensselaer Park, also in Picture Rocks, just behind the George Ferrell Elementary School, providing easy access to Laurel Run, a stream annually stocked by the Sportsmen, with great parking, playground facilities for families, and ample space for family members to come out and support this opportunity for children to enjoy trout fishing in our community.
The Kids’ Trout Derby quickly became an anticipated event in the community, attracting about 200 children (ages 0-12) annually, always held on the first Sunday of May. The Derby is free, with all registrants receiving a gift bag for participating.
About 1,000 trout are stocked, with the children broken into four different age groups to fish throughout the afternoon. Each age group has two prizes, one for the first limit caught (each kid can catch and keep three trout) and the largest fish caught (in addition to the trout stocked, the Sportsmen “holdover” trout every year to stock trophy trout in its streams that can be more than 20-inches long). The Sportsmen also have a concession stand available for the event.
The Derby was renamed in memory of Dick Harner, who was the club president when the Derby was established.
In addition to the trout raised and stocked for the Derby, the volunteers with the Sportsmen annually stock about 12,000 trout in the streams throughout eastern Lycoming County and Sullivan County, with one stocking the day before the opening day of trout season and then in-season stockings in mid-April and mid-May.
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Sportsmen had to cancel the 2020 and 2021 Trout Derbies. Last year, the Derby returned for the first time since 2019, and the Sportsmen are eager to see this annual event continue well into the future.
More information can be found at MuncyCreeks.org or Facebook.com/MuncyCreeks.
