02-03-2010, 12:10 PM
Anglers of all ages are invited to attend the Division's Freshwater Sportfishing Awards ceremony honoring the 2009 Angler of the Year and the 2009 Gold Pin Winners. The ceremony takes place at the Eastern Fishing and Outdoor Exposition February 13, 2010 at 4:00 PM at the DCU Centre in Worcester where Massachusetts Fish and Game Commissioner Mary Griffin will join with Division Director Wayne MacCallum and other Division staff to present the annual Freshwater Sportfishing Awards. For over 40 years MassWildlife has sponsored the Freshwater Sportfishing Awards Program designed to recognize anglers who have caught exceptional freshwater fish from waterbodies which are open to the public. Bronze pins are sent to anglers who catch fish meeting certain minimum weight requirements for 22 types of fish. Gold pins and a plaque are awarded at the Freshwater Sportfishing Awards ceremony to adult and youth anglers catching the largest fish in 22 species categories. 2009 Gold Pin Award winners are posted at: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/recreatio...inners.htm.
The Angler of the Year award recognizes the angler who demonstrates the skills necessary to catch trophy fish in a wide variety of categories. The 2009 Angler of the Year is Roy Leyva of Plymouth, a veteran of the Freshwater Sportfishing Awards Program. This is Leyva's third time winning the Angler of the Year since the category was created in 2003. Leyva caught 12 different species of pin fish during the past year and all but one fish species were taken in southeastern Massachusetts. Roy caught 14 trophy fish including broodstock salmon in Peters Pond, Sandwich and Sheep Pond in Sandwich; tiger, brook and brown trout in Peters Pond, Sandwich; bullhead and white catfish in Mashpee-Wakeby Pond, Mashpee; chain pickerel and white perch at the Herring River Reservoir, Harwich; crappie and yellow perch from Glen Charlie Pond, Wareham; sunfish from Little Pond, Plymouth; and two trophy landlocked salmon in central Massachusetts on the Stillwater River in Sterling. Over the years, Leyva also has received Gold Pins for numerous fish species. For details about the Eastern Fishing and Outdoor Exposition, go to www.sportshows.com.
The Angler of the Year award recognizes the angler who demonstrates the skills necessary to catch trophy fish in a wide variety of categories. The 2009 Angler of the Year is Roy Leyva of Plymouth, a veteran of the Freshwater Sportfishing Awards Program. This is Leyva's third time winning the Angler of the Year since the category was created in 2003. Leyva caught 12 different species of pin fish during the past year and all but one fish species were taken in southeastern Massachusetts. Roy caught 14 trophy fish including broodstock salmon in Peters Pond, Sandwich and Sheep Pond in Sandwich; tiger, brook and brown trout in Peters Pond, Sandwich; bullhead and white catfish in Mashpee-Wakeby Pond, Mashpee; chain pickerel and white perch at the Herring River Reservoir, Harwich; crappie and yellow perch from Glen Charlie Pond, Wareham; sunfish from Little Pond, Plymouth; and two trophy landlocked salmon in central Massachusetts on the Stillwater River in Sterling. Over the years, Leyva also has received Gold Pins for numerous fish species. For details about the Eastern Fishing and Outdoor Exposition, go to www.sportshows.com.