The weather could have been better, there could have been more fish, but it would be tough to say that people could have had more fun at the Fishtown Fishing Derby, an event sponsored by the Friends of Penn Treaty Park.

At 8:00 am AJ Thomson, the event¡¯s officiator, kicked off the Derby with a whoop of, “anything caught from here on out wins, fish on!” While most of Fishtown was still sleeping on the chilly morning of Saturday, April 25, a dozen or so dedicated fishers had been waiting at the water¡¯s edge, eager to get started on the morning¡¯s fishing.

The main goal of the event was to get people to come out of the house and spend some quality time with their families. Colorful rods were provided for youngsters that needed them, and anyone who wanted to could take one home with them so they could fish in the future. Small cash prizes would also be awarded to the person who caught the biggest fish and the person who caught the most fish.

As the saying goes, sometimes there¡¯s a reason people call it fishing and not catching, and the action was more akin to a soccer match than a basketball game. George Gurney, who was out enjoying the day with his sons George III and Leeland, took an early lead with a 16 ¨ù inch catfish caught around 8:30 am. This came as no surprise to Thomson, who earlier had pointed out Gurney as “the fish-whisperer.” Out of the four previous times Gurney had participated, he won twice, making him an obvious favorite for the day. His secret weapon? Chicken livers.

There was a bit of a lull in the action after Gurney¡¯s first fish. Debbie Pereira had a pretty decent catfish at the bank, with a mouth supposedly “big enough to fit your fist in,” but the line snapped as she tried to hoist it onto land. Unfortunately this would be Pereira¡¯s last shot at winning it all at the Derby, but she did manage to win the acclaim of less-experienced parents whose children were out fishing for the first time: Pereira became the unofficial knot-tyer and line-untangler for the novices at the event, at least for those stationed near the power station that borders the northern edge of the park.

Some fishers, like Stu Kaplan and Dan Streck, owners of Liberties Parcel at 2nd and Brown in Northern Liberties, came without children just to escape the monotony of the work week.

“We sent our employee in on his birthday so we could go fishing,” said Streck.

For them, fishing is a respite from the rigors of everyday life. “We work long hours, but when it¡¯s time for fishing, it¡¯s like, ¡®Honey, gotta get up at 7AM.¡¯” Penn Treaty Park is a favorite spot of theirs due to its proximity and easy access. Fishing for catfish is also a lot less complicated than many other kinds of fishing; there¡¯s no expensive lures or specialty equipment to buy, just some line, some lead, some hooks and some bait.

Gurney caught another fish, this one a little smaller at about 15 inches. There were also whisperings of a young child nearly pulling in an eel, but it managed to slip the hook before it hit dry land. It seemed like Gurney would be the champion of the day with both the most and the biggest fish when the impossible happened.

Like all great comebacks, it came in the final moments from a place that no one expected. Around 10:30AM, in the final half hour of the tournament, Michaela Vincenti walked towards the judge¡¯s table carrying a net with a catfish heavily swaying in the fabric. Everyone gathered around to see how the fish would measure up to Gurney¡¯s first 16 ¨ù inch catfish. Thomson called out the length. 16 ¨þ inches. With little time to spare, Vincenti had managed to eek out the biggest fish of the day. With some guidance from Gurney, she gingerly held the catfish in front of her for the photographers at the event.

At 11:00 sharp Thomson called the tournament. The fishers reeled in their lines and walked over to the judge¡¯s table so the prizes could be distributed. In the background, final preparations were being made for the other event taking place at Penn Treaty Park, the Portside Arts Festival. Thomson distributed the prize money and certificates of participation to the children as tents were hoisted and tables were being arranged. In spite of the slow action, everyone left with a smiling face, the children due to their brand new fishing rods and the adults due to a peaceful day of family fun on the water.