captions, clockwise from top left: 

 

Fishing along the Quinebaug at the annual Putnam Rotary Club Noe Poulin Fishing Derby. By Rande Chmura

 

Drawing winners.

 

Along the shore. By Rande Chmura

 

Bentley Williams with his winning fish. By Rande Chmura.

 

 

PUTNAM — The Annual Putnam Rotary Noe Poulin Fishing Derby had 65 participants — but unfortunately only two fish showed up!  Fishing started at 9 a.m. April 15 and ended at noon.  After the heavy rains and high water on the river during the first two weeks of April, it was a beautiful sunny day to enjoy fishing along the Quinebaug River.  It was great to see so many families participating in the Derby, said Doug Porter, Fishing Derby Committee chairman.

The fisherman ranged in age from 2 to 15 and fished both sides of the Quinebaug River and on the Woodstock Avenue bridge.  Porter thanked the Putnam Police Department for shutting off the bridge for the fisherman and thanked Willie Bousquet and the Putnam Recreation Department for their help with the Derby.

Mackenzie Bertrand, 8, caught the first fish of the day, a 3-inch crayfish.  The largest fish and the only other fish of the day was caught by 2-year-old Bentley Williams.  The fish measured 13 inches and weighted in at three-quarters of a pound.

With only two fish caught, the Rotary Club raffled off the prizes, fishing rods, tackle boxes, lures and fishing line.