The Shad Derby means a lot to the region economically. “People stay in hotels, use bait shops, marinas, gas stations, restaurants.
James P. Sypniak, right, of Holyoke, Peter J. Plant, left, of Holyoke, and Michael J. Carlin, of Chicopee, fish for shad on the Willimansett Bridge during the 2007 Holyoke Gas and Electric Shad Derby.The biggest American shad on record was caught in South Hadley waters in 1986. This weekend hundreds of fishing enthusiasts from all over the Northeast will converge on the Connecticut River to chase that record.
The 46th annual Holyoke Gas and Electric Shad Derby will take place May 21 and 22.
There is no entry fee.
The tournament requires that shad must be caught by hook and line anywhere in the Holyoke-South Hadley-Chicopee area.
The fish must then be brought to the official weighing station on the Holyoke side of the Route 116 bridge that joins Holyoke and South Hadley, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on both days of the tournament.
The competition has a junior division for those 14 and under, and a senior division for everyone else. People in the senior division must show their fishing licenses to collect a prize.
Ten prizes will be given out in each division, including a $1,000 top prize in the senior division. A special trophy in honor of fallen Holyoke police officer John DiNapoli is given for the first shad caught in the junior division.
Anglers are asked to register at the weighing station before they cast, but it’s not required, so no one has exact numbers on how many people participate in this annual event.
Veteran fisherman John Coughlin, of Holyoke, estimates that it’s more 1,000 each year. “The riverbanks are lined with people fishing,” said Coughlin, adding that competitors may also fish from boats.
The Shad Derby “means a lot to the region economically,” said Coughlin, an associate member of the Massachusetts Sportsmen’s Council. “People stay in hotels, use bait shops, marinas, gas stations, restaurants.”
Before the utility came along, the shad derby was sponsored by Northeast Utilities, and before that it was Holyoke Water Power, according to Calvin Ellis, spokesman for HG&E.
It’s not likely that anyone will top the historic shad caught by the late Bob Thibodo in 1986, which weighed more than 11 pounds.
But this weekend they’ll be trying.
Look for an insert in the May 20 Holyoke edition of The Republican, which will have a detailed map and description of the tournament from HG&E, according to Ellis.
For more information, go to www.hged.com/shadderby.