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RIVER VALLEY – An esteemed panel including Alex Zidock, Don Hamilton, Andy Boyar, and Harry Datys will serve as judges in the
Zane Grey Catch-and-Release Fishing Derby for which entries are being accepted through July 6.

The free, bi-state fishing tournament kicked off on April 12 as an event to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Pike County, PA in 2014 and honor one of its famous residents, world-renowned fisherman and author Zane Grey.

Youth and adult anglers may submit photos taken on the official derby ruler of trout (rainbow, brook, and brown) and smallmouth bass that they lawfully catch on the Delaware River, Lackawaxen River, their tributaries, and all the flowing waters of Pike County, and e-mail them to pikemuse@ptd.net with their contact information, age, and a certification that it was released live back into those waters.

Prizes Available

Everyone who enters the contest has the chance to win an Old Town Canoes & Kayaks prize package of a canoe, two paddles, and two life vests donated by Johnson Outdoors Watercraft and valued at $800.

First, second, and third place prizes and certificates will be awarded for the four types of eligible fish in Youth Male and Female (up to age 15) and Open Class categories during the National Park Service Upper Delaware and Scenic Recreational River’s 10th Annual Zane Grey Festival held at their museum in Lackawaxen on July 12. Prize donations from regional businesses are being gratefully accepted for their first-time derby and will be acknowledged in future publicity. Please send items to Laurie Ramie at the Upper Delaware Council, P.O. Box 192, 211 Bridge St., Narrowsburg, NY 12764; phone (845) 252-3022 or e-mail laurie@upperdelawarecouncil.org.

Judging PanelJudge Alex Zidock is a writer, photographer, and television producer/host whose award-winning work has appeared locally, regionally, and nationally. His regional outdoors show “Out in the Open” that he produces and co-hosts with wife JoAnne has aired every week for the past 18 years on Blue Ridge Communications TV 13. Zidock also produces the show “Wallenpaupack Life” which appears on TV 13 and on-line at www.thepoconochannel.com, regularly contributes to Pennsylvania Angler and Boater Magazine, and is a member of the Pike-Wayne Chapter Trout Unlimited.

Judge Don Hamilton is the Chief of Resource Management for the National Park Service on the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, where he has worked for the past 22 years. The Milanville, PA resident is a member of the Upper Delaware Chapter of Trout Unlimited, and has been an avid fisherman since the age of seven.

Judge Andy Boyar serves as the Town of Highland, NY Supervisor and 2014 chairman of the Upper Delaware Council, Inc. He is also president of the Upper Delaware Chapter of Trout Unlimited, vice-president and trustee for the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum; a member of the Friends of the Upper Delaware River; and belongs to the Federation of Fly Fishers. He spends an estimated 100 days of the year out on regional waters fishing.

Judge Harry Datys owns and operates The Barryville Sportsman shop with his wife Kathleen in Barryville, NY and is a stock broker for Westpark Capital. An avid fly fisher, Datys has fished all over the world for different species and competed in numerous tournaments. The former Florida Keys resident who now resides in Glen Spey began fishing at age 7 and has passed along his love for the sport to his daughters, Kayla, 13; and Brooke, 10.

Derby participants are welcome to submit multiple entries by the July 6 deadline but will be eligible for one prize per category and one chance in the canoe package drawing. All decisions of the judges are final.

Official Rulers

The 24-inch-long, paper-coated rulers on which fish must be photographed may be picked up at regional sports shops, The Columns Museum at 608 Broad St. in Milford, PA; the Zane Grey Museum at 135 Scenic Dr. in Lackawaxen, PA; and the Upper Delaware Council office at 211Bridge St. in Narrowsburg, NY.

The attractive rulers were designed by Dorene Warner of W Design of Barryville and include the contest rules, historic photos of Zane Grey, information on catch-and-release protocols, and ads from the sponsors who contributed to the printing cost: The Pike County Commissioners; Pike County Historical Society; Zane Grey’s West Society; and Pike County Outfitters of Milford.

For more information on the Zane Grey Catch-and-Release Fishing Derby, please call the Pike County Historical Society at (570) 296-8126 or the Upper Delaware Council at (845) 252-3022, or visit the National Park Service Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River’s special web page at www.nps.gov/upde.