OWASCO - It was a perfect day for pond fishing - not too hot, not too windy, not too crowded. And the fish were biting.

But the fish always bite at the fishing derby held every year as part of the Cayuga County Sportsmen's Club field day.

Cayuga County Sportsmen's Club held its annual field day Saturday, an event designed to give children a chance to enjoy a cool September afternoon outdoors while teaching them a thing or two about sporting.

“It's an opportunity to get outside, get away from the computer screen,” said organizer Jack Cavanaugh.

The field days began years ago as an event for adults. In recent years, the club has shifted gears to make the event for children, Cavanaugh said.

Archery practice, a supervised BB gun shooting range and a giant water balloon slingshot were set up around the club's Rockefeller Road, Owasco, property. Auburn Police Department was on hand to register children in their Kid's ID program, which enters youth into a database and provides each with a driver's license-like ID card.

At the end of the day, a helicopter flew over the fields to drop shotgun wads for children to collect and trade in for prizes. “They were into that big time,” Cavanaugh said.

But the fishing derby, which attracts dozens of young fishers every year, is the event's main attraction, said Corey Soules, 17, a club member who manned the fish-measuring stand.

“Everybody comes up here to go fishing,” Soules said. “You're guaranteed to catch something no matter how small you are.”

Club members bring sunfish, bass and perch over all the time to keep the pond well stocked, he said.

Two-and-a-half-year-old Tyler Murray had his sweatshirt sleeves scrunched around his arms like a Shar-Pei puppy in order to keep his hands free for holding his fishing rod.

Tyler was the youngest successful fisher - he reeled in a 6.5 inch sunfish.

“Fish hooked itself and he reeled him in,” said Tyler's father, William Murray.

“He goes fishing all the time,” Murray said of his son, who was groping for his pole before his last catch had been tossed back in the water.

The biggest catch of the day belonged to Noah Wojnar, 9, of Auburn, who landed a 16.5 inch smallmouth bass.

“I knew it was going to be a big fish,” Noah said. “He was fighting.”

Noah said he fishes often in Owasco Lake but that Saturday's bass was the biggest fish he had ever caught.

More than 45 fish were entered in the contest, all which were tossed back into the pond, to be tricked into biting again.

Staff writer Sarah Gantz can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or sarah.gantz@lee.net