Armed with bamboo rods and corn bait – and cheered on by Cyclones’ mascot Sandy the Seagull – a horde of eagle−eyed anglers had big fish to fry as they helped kick off the four−day−long R. H. Macy’s Fishing Contest at Prospect Park with an opening ceremony at the Audubon Center.
Prospect Lake, the borough’s only freshwater lake, morphed into a wharf of dreams for contestants 15 years old and younger, who cast their lines in hopes of catching the most and the largest fish for prizes and bragging rights.
Lucky Midwood trawler Simon Yeudauyer, 13, won a tackle box and fishing rod for corralling the first catch of the day − a nine−inch bass.
Brown bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed fish and other gilled beauties tested their slippery wiles against the wits of budding fisher−boys and girls, who displayed patience and skill as they embarked upon the 62nd annual aquatic spectacle, which this year deferred to environmentalists by not tagging a largemouth bass named R.H. Macy – the traditional grand prize catch – for fear of “stressing” the fish, said a contest spokesperson.
A free, pre−contest workshop, conducted by the Urban Park Rangers in conjunction with the Prospect Park Alliance, acquainted competitors with the ins and outs of angling, aquatic ecology and sportsfishing, plus fishing equipment.
After being measured and recorded, all catches were released back into the lake.
