Hardy souls brave weather for trout derby

Beatle Chamberland holds a 14-inch brown trout he pulled from the water. Photos by D. Coffey.

The pond at the Valley Springs Sportsman's Club in Thompson was covered with tilts, shanties, arm chairs and augers on Feb. 17 for the annual trout derby. More than 100 people turned out for the occasion, hoping to land the tagged trout worth $3,000. Prizes were also offered for the longest brown, rainbow, brook or tiger trout and the first golden trout to be registered.

Jeff Bousquet, who is continuing a tradition started by his father, Steve, said that 20 of 250 trout had been tagged for the event. “It's a great event,” he said. “We love it. We have a great time. It's a different type of crowd. You meet a lot of characters, that's for sure.”