Fishing Derby

Saturday, June 15, 2024 - 9am to 2pm

Crossroads Global Community Church
1420 N Main St, Washington, IL 61571

No Pack signup - the event is hosted by Crossroads and is open to a broader audience so sign in is managed by them at the event.

Welcome to the 2024 1st Annual Gary Dean Snyder Smallmouth Bass Fishing Derby!!

Housekeeping -

• If you are 16 or older, you are required to have a signed paper copy of your Illinois fishing license on your person if you are fishing.

• Please, no one in the water, no boats or waders.

• The north side can be treacherous. Please respect our boundary markers and stay out of marked areas for everyone’s safety.

• Enjoy the day safely - good memories are best made accident free.

• Anything you bring with you, please take what’s left as you leave.

• Please help your fellow angler if they need assistance.

• If you don’t have equipment, some will be available on loan. We will have some folks available to help you set it up, teach you to take fish off, bait the hook, all the good stuff.

Allowable Equipment -

• Line and poles only

• Tackle

• Bucket or stringer to keep your crappie and bullhead

Rules -

Sign in with your hosts at the booth under the canopy on the west side of the lake, we’ll have drawings for prizes and we will get you any help you need to make your derby enjoyable.

During your fishing excursion, please keep all crappie and bullhead catfish. At 11:30, we will have a weigh in at the host booth. Prizes will be awarded, likely in the form of a fantastic souvenir of the day, or a favorite of Gary’s, the two dollar bill. No crappie or bullhead are to return to the lake. Crappie are an invasive species that are not wanted in our lake, and the bullhead are overpopulated so by catching and keeping them you are helping us manage and protect the species we stock, not to mention giving you a tasty fish fry!

All other species are to be caught and released. This includes any largemouth bass, red ear sunfish, channel catfish, grass carp, and any other unnamed species. They are specifically trained to smile for a good quick picture before going back into the water.

The only exception is the elusive smallmouth - if you catch a smallmouth bass, it would be an automatic win of the day, earning Gary’s two dollar bill! Since there are no smallmouth bass in our lake, only largemouth, this would be almost as great of a story as Gary’s best fish story ever! According to Gary, he caught the world record smallmouth bass (it grew as the story was told) that his buddy Sam insisted was illegal to keep, so he made Gary throw it back. Come to find out, he probably could have kept it. Did Sam really know this? Hmm.

Our hope is that whether you have enjoyed a lifetime of fishing or are out for the first time with us, that you enjoy your time in God’s sweet creation and build memories that will go down as some of the best stories ever! We would love for you to join us in worship on Sundays, too!

SEE YOU AT THE LAKE!