GrandSlam Youth Derby in Wayne County

Technology is a wonderful thing. The inventions of today connect people instantly, however when our children are caught in the trap of glowing screens they miss the beauty of the great outdoors.“Take a kid fishing” has been the mantra of many organizations trying to introduce youngsters to outdoor activity. The Wayne County Office of Tourism and the Wayne County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs has offered a fantastic fishing contest that celebrates its 17th year. The derby runs from May 1 to August 10 with our Awards Ceremony on August 23 at 11am in Sodus Point.The Wayne County 5-GrandSlam & Merchants Challenge Youth Derby has created the perfect environment for family fun and we added a bunch of great prizes for the winning youngsters. This unique derby runs all summer enabling everyone to fish. You can cast from shore or troll the bays of Wayne County for the warm water fish or go deep for the trout and salmon in Lake Ontario.There are two age groups; youth 4 -7 years of age and 8 -16 years of age. Within the two age groups there are three separate divisions in the fishing derby. The GrandSlam Division is the cold water fish contest. Catch all five species of trout and salmon in Lake Ontario (Coho, Chinook, brown and lake trout, and rainbow) and you qualify for the Grand Prize. Once you catch all five, you can add to your score with a heavier catch.The Challenge Division has the same criteria, although the five fish to qualify are warm water species; pike, perch, walleye, small and largemouth bass. Species is the third division. The largest fish in any division is a winner.Applications for the GrandSlam Youth Derby are available at all bait and tackle shops in Wayne County or by calling the tourism office at 1-800-527-6510. All information is also on the web page at waynecountytourism.com