Photo Gallery: Kids Fishing Derby at Sawmill Pond

The start of Sunday's fishing derby found Sawmill Pond looking gray and dreary. The clouds threatened to drizzle. The pond had overflowed its banks. The pathway by the mill had become a river, and the walkway to the bridge at the other end also was flooded.

Luckily, not half an hour later, the sky began to clear, the kids started to arrive, and the fishing derby changed from a damp, cold prospect to the start of a beautiful day.

The event, open to ages 15 and under, was organized by the Ledyard Rotary Club, the Ledyard Police Department and the Groton Town Police. For some kids, today was their first fishing trip. Others fished like champions already. All of them seemed to have a good time.

Parents, too, enjoyed the morning. Some taught their boys and girls to cast. Many waited with cameras ready, hoping for a snapshot of a child’s first catch. The fish themselves seemed to be playing it safe, but the season’s only beginning.