Anglers catch prizes at 67th annual Riverton Fishing Derby Anglers catch nice prizes at 67th annual fishing derby

Brandon D’Angelo, 34, of Barkhamsted shows off his 24 ½-inch rainbow trout and his prize, a customized wooden Hitchcock chair, along with his father, Gary D’Angelo, of Winsted at the 67th annual Riverton Fishing Derby on the West branch of the Farmington River near the Old Riverton Inn at 436 E. River Road in Riverton Saturday. less Brandon D’Angelo, 34, of Barkhamsted shows off his 24 ½-inch rainbow trout and his prize, a customized wooden Hitchcock chair, along with his father, Gary D’Angelo, of Winsted at the 67th ... more Photo: N.F. Ambery — The Register Citizen Photo: N.F. Ambery — The Register Citizen Image 1 of / 75 Caption Close Anglers catch prizes at 67th annual Riverton Fishing Derby 1 / 75 Back to Gallery

RIVERTON >> Columnist Doug Larson of the 1950s once said, “If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles.”

About 400 fishers of all ages seemed to agree Saturday during the 67th annual Riverton Fishing Derby on the West branch of the Farmington River near the Old Riverton Inn at 436 East River Rd. Following a crack-of-dawn breakfast served at the Riverton Firehouse, beginner and veteran trawlers who had been coming to the event for decades, congregated at various riverbeds from 6 to 10 a.m. and later at the Riverton Firehouse for the winning children’s and adults’ awards ceremony, of which the first prize was a customized Hitchcock wooden chair.

Derby co-organizer Leslie DiMartino, who ran the cash register at the busy Riverton General Store, 2 Main St. where fishermen stocked up on the store’s famous roast beef sandwiches and chili, said, “The Derby’s a great event for the family and the community. The fishing makes a busy day.”

The Derby was started in 1949 by the Hitchcock Chair Co., whose original headquarters were by the Farmington River, where Saturday’s fishers patiently cast lines. The company had been donating its signature chairs to the Derby for years.

At 9:20 a.m., Dan Lynch of West Hartford hooked bubble-gum-worm plastic lures on his hooks on his line and that of his daughter Chloe, 8. “She took second-place at last year’s Derby,” Lynch said. “She is used to catching in freshwater fish in lakes. I’ve been coming here for 44 years now.”

Down below standing in fishing boots in the river, Max Baschke, 14, caught brown and rainbow trouts, the longest measuring 16 inches. “It hasn’t been too bad today,” he said.

Upstream, Jason Paplauskas of Sherman taught fishing techniques to his young son, Noah. “There’s brook trout, but not as many as people are used to,” he said. Paplauskas said he had been coming since his son was three-years-old.

A few feet away, John Josef of Darien supervised his children and friends Chloe Lynch, 8; Teagan Josef, 7 and Cillian Josef, 4. They remained optimistic despite no catches. Josef said about Teagan: “She’s been casting really well. This is Cillian’s first fishing trip.”

Nearby Robert Valentine, 16, showed off his freshly-caught brown. “I’ve been doing this since I was 11 or 12,” he said. “I use nightcrawlers as bait.”

Derek Paplauskas remarked of the Derby: “It is fine tradition.”

Across Main Street, a group of eight friends gathered to catch up and grill sausages and rabbit stew on an outdoor barbecue pit. Pointing to the grill, Joe Tata of Windsor explained: “We’ve got in here garlic cloves, carrots, celery, and black pepper.”

The group, the Trophy Trout Club, had donated 120 large trout purchased from a fishery, introducing them into the Farmington River yesterday. “We have been meeting the last few years,” said John Yuschak of Bristol. “It’s good fishing.”

At the Riverton Firehouse, 3 Riverton Rd., Derby organizers completed weighing and measuring the cold, scaly contestants, and their captors were awarded prizes. The under-16 Fishing Derby awards were given out to several participants.

Second-place children’s fishing derby winner Zac Baschke, 10, showed off his 18 1/2–inch brown trout after winning a fishing rod and filleting set. “It was fun,” he said.

The first-place children’s fishing derby winner was Baschke’s cousin Cameron Pruitt, 13, of Waterbury, who did not attend the winners’ ceremony. Baschke posed for photos with his catch as well as Pruitt’s hooked gargantuan white trout, which was awarded with a $50 gift certificate to Cabela’s outdoor-gear store.

Third-place children’s fishing derby winner Eric Palka of Avon, showed off his prize fish with his father Ryan Dalka, who said they fish regularly in Connecticut fishing derbies.

The first-place adult-category winner of the prized Hitchcock Chair Co. customized chair was Brandon D’Angelo, 34, of Barkhamsted. He displayed his 24 ½-inch rainbow trout to his father, Gary D’Angelo, of Winsted and his best friend, Adam Zadrozny, of Farmington. D’Angelo said their families had fished together at the Derby for decades. “This is our 24th year of fishing all together,” said D’Angelo. “It’s a family tradition.”

When asked where he would put his Hitchcock chair, with its painted depiction of Main Street in Riverton, D’Angelo said, “I’ll put it in the game room, right next to the one my father won a few years ago.”