By Tessa Swanton (Townson),
Bruce Peninsula Press
By The Bay’s Annual Fishing Derby started out with colder temperatures but sunny skies remained throughout the four-day event proving to be good luck for anglers. A record number of 456 fish were entered in the derby this year compared to 336 in 2024.
Hundreds of attendees of all ages were gathered behind By The Bay store in Pike Bay on August 31 for the award ceremony. Event organizer, Brad Hazzard, emceed the event with his daughter and By The Bay owner, Sarah Carson assisting throughout the ceremony. Hazzard said, “Thank you to all the grandmas, grandpas, moms, dads, brothers, and sisters that took the time to take somebody fishing, that’s so important.” He continued to thank all weigh station volunteers and his family for their support. Several local businesses and individuals donated an abundance of prizes. Participants were seen walking away proudly with fishing poles, tackle boxes, lifejackets, backpacks, balls, and toys.
A touching moment was witnessed when Hazzard presented the Betty Conn Memorial Award for the tournament’s smallest fish. “Betty was a cottager in Pike Bay for over 50 years and passed away a few years ago. Betty taught us to appreciate the little things in life and that it’s not the size of the fish in the fight but the size of the fight in the fish.”
Weigh station volunteer and cottager, Peter Scopu, spoke about his love of the derby and gratitude towards Hazzard for continuing to organize the event. “What brought us into [the derby] is my granddaughters, we started fishing together. The derby is mostly a lot of grandparents and families together. We’re glad that [Brad] has a passion for it, and we’re very grateful for Brad for keeping that tradition alive.”
