Bass derby goers weigh in at the Double S Marina in Ompah

Jun 26, 2014

The opening of bass season last weekend attracted fishers in droves to the Land O'Lakes region to take part in a number of bass derbies that offered up many opportunities for fishers to win big. At the Double S Marina in Ompah, which is located on the shores of Palmerston Lake, owners/operators Denis and Rose Bedard held their 11th annual Bass Derby on June 21 and 22.

On Sunday when I visited, boats were making their way to the marina’s main dock for a final noon weigh in, with many participants hoping to bag the $1,000 first place prize. Denis Bedard was handling the fish coming in and staff member Kate Osborne was recording the weights. Adults could weigh in up to eight fish and children up to four. The winners with the greatest average overall took home the prizes. Ron Skevington and Robin Soluri of Frankfurt weighed in two bass that together weighed 4.45 pounds. It was their second year at the derby and Ron said he came back this year because of its “laid back feel” and his “not having to worry about heavy duty competition since everyone here gets along really well.” This year the derby attracted a total of 41 teams in that many boats. Over 100 people participated, 20 of them children who dined and fished for free. The $100 weekend ticket per team included fishing both days, a Saturday night steak dinner and a visit by Canadian champion bass fisherman Big Jim McLaughlin, who was to make a Sunday appearance to hand out the winnings.

This year the derby included fishers from Kingston, Ottawa and Perth and many of the participants rented cottages nearby for the weekend. The Bedards enjoy running the derby and especially love seeing the kids participate. They offer a prize to all of the children who participate and the young fishers can also win cash prizes of $100, $50 and $25. The couple purchased the marina in 2003 and have been running the derby ever since.

The weekend’s big winners were Dan Griffin and Tim McGuire, who took the $1,000 first place prize for their 23.99 pound total; Mark Lemke and Shauna Rowland won $500 for their combined 21.7 pounds and the $250 third place prize went to Tyler Ahsick and Kirt Zummers who weighed in 20.54 pounds. The young winners of the day were Braydan Dunham who won first place with his 9.68 average; Meagan Dunham who won second place for her 6.78 and Harrison Sargeant, who won third with 4.29.

For those who have never visited, the Double S Marina, which has now been renamed the Palmerston Lake Marina, is a full service marina that sells gas, fishing licenses, tackle and has a fully stocked convenience store, a full service post office and ice cream. They offer boat, kayak, canoe and paddle boats rentals and service and store boats on site. There is a payphone on the premises and free WiFi. The Palmerston Lake Marina is open all year round and is located at 9637 Highway 509 just west of Ompah. In the words of Denis, the location offers up some of the best fishing in the area.