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Laurel Lake Fishing Derby lures anglers of all ages

June 23, 2010 – When it comes to fishing, you don’t have to catch a big, snooty fish to have fun. Getting a bite quickly and landing plenty of fish can be just as rewarding.

Luckily, panfish – in the form of crappie, bluegill, perch and other small, scrappy fish – can be found all over North America. Small ponds, urban lakes and big reservoirs from Canada to Mexico often have big schools of panfish swimming around in the shallows near shore. Laurel Lake's three beautiful fishing lakes – Laurel Lake, Walt's Pond and Rider Lake – maintain a healthy stock of these and other varieties, including bass and carp.

On Monday, June 21 a crowd of residents, staff, family and friends, ranging in age from 12 to 102, assembled at Rider Lake on Laurel Lake’s "back forty" for the community's first annual Fishing Derby. Under cerulean blue skies, the anglers hauled in 31 fish in two hours.

Joe Durr, grandson of Laurel Lake resident Kathryn Hunter, caught the most fish with 12 catches. Gift certificates for Dick’s Sporting Goods and Red Lobster were awarded. 

British poet laureate and avid fisherman Ted Hughes once wrote: "Fishing provides that connection with the whole living world. It gives you the opportunity of being totally immersed, turning back into yourself in a good way. A form of meditation, some form of communion with levels of yourself that are deeper than the ordinary self." Here at Laurel Lake, we couldn't agree more!

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Laurel Lake Retirement Community offers a remarkable lifestyle choice for adults who wish to continue leading active lives filled with travel, fitness, volunteer, work, cultural and lifelong learning pursuits. To learn more about this not-for-profit continuing care retirement community offering multiple home styles within a 150-acre campus in historic Hudson, call 1-866-650-2100 or visit www.laurellake.org . Laurel Lake is a member of Catholic Healthcare Partners ( www.health-partners.org ).