Young anglers enjoy family fun at annual Fishing Derby

There were many “fish stories” in and around Johnston War Memorial Park on Sunday, courtesy of some special caring young anglers who participated in the Johnston Parks and Recreation Department’s annual Fishing Derby.

On a sun-splashed, chilly April morning, it seemed as though the brown and brook trout the Department of Environmental Management had stocked in the pristine park’s pond only wanted to get caught on one side of Johnston’s famed waterhole.

Moreover, when kids who fished in three different age groups did catch a trout – and had it weighed by parks and recreation staffers – they tossed the fish back into the pond.

But Sunday’s best “fish story” belonged to two girls – the sisters Pellegrino, Giada, 7 and Guillana, 5 – who followed in the footsteps of their uncle Steve Zanni when it came to winning the blue ribbon that’s emblematic of a first-place finish.

“I won that same blue ribbon back in 1989,” Zanni said while helping his nieces bait their hooks and cast their lines into the pond. “Today is obviously special, and it has always been that way during the Fishing Derby.”

Although Zanni didn’t say just how many trout he caught back in 1989 – or what his catch weighed – he was more intent on heaping words of praise upon his two nieces, who reeled in a total of nine trout.

“Hold ’em for the picture,” Jimmy Pellegrino, the girls’ father, requested of his daughters at their site on the jam-packed west side of the park’s pond, where all of the day’s trout seemed to be caught Sunday. “C’mon girls, show ’em your catch!”

Although she didn’t divulge what type of bait she used, Giada was all smiles while holding up the nine trout the girls caught Sunday. She reeled in five of the fish – mostly brownies – while Guillana brought in four.

“They’re having so much fun,” said Nicole Pellegrino, the girls’ mother. “It’s fun for everyone.”

Sunday’s Fishing Derby may have drawn one of the largest groups of anglers in recent memory. Whether it was at the park’s entrance off Hartford Avenue or on the island inside the park, families set up chairs along with their coolers and tackle boxes in hopes of reeling in a trout or three.

However, for people like Paul Scorpio and his son Paul Jr., the event provided a special time for families to spend time together.

Take Tony Chavier and his son Michael, 7, who were also among the many people who cast lines from the island. The same held true for Tyman Musa, 13, and his sister Alexandra, 7, who were part of a group that included parents Iyman and Jennifer Musa and their friends Kristen Senerchia and her children, Cadence, 4, and Scott, 2.

The winners in the age group for kids ages 5 to 7 were Guilliana Pellegrino, Damarien Ravenelle, Alexander Musa, Josh Lopes, Gian Grosso and Joseph Lalbaberti. For ages 8 to 10, the winners were Giada Pellegrino, Paul Scorpio, Devin Mora, Dan Kemp, Jenna Poland, Luca Iacobo, Emma Homenick and Sam Duva. For ages 11 to 13, the winners were Jared Kemf, Michael Soulliere and Arin Kennedy.