The 2018 Post 351 Catfish Derby is in the books, and of the 51 fish entered, a new derby all-time top dog (or should I say cat) has been set. Stuart Russel of Hadley, Massachusetts took top honors this year with his impressive 18-pound, 5-ounce catfish. He topped the second-place entry of 16 pounds, 3 ounces from Jason Panek by almost 2 pounds, and the top five entries were all in excess of 13 pounds. New England might not get the recognition as a world-class catfish destination, but as this year’s leader board shows, there are some big whiskers prowling our local waters.
- Stu Russel 18 pounds, 5 ounces
- Jason Panek 16 pounds, 3 ounces
- AJ Shackett 13 pounds, 11 ounces
- James Lund 13 pounds, 8 ounces
- Jake Lulck 13 pounds, 0 ounces
- Andrew Rogalski 12 pounds, 14 ounces
- Brian Odonnel 12 pounds, 12 ounces
- Edward Brozo 12 pounds, 3 ounces
- Mike Sypek 11 pounds, 12 ounces
- Richard Veghey jr 11 pounds, 6 ounces
- Justin Sypek 10 pounds, 14 ounces
- Mike Koske sr 10 pounds, 6 ounces
- Rick Dombek 10 pounds, 1 ounce
- Ray Welch 9 pounds, 15 ounces
- Don Galas 9 pounds, 14 ounces
- Mike Koske jr 9 pounds, 13 ounces
- Gary Klosek 9 pounds, 12 ounces
- Todd Matera 9 pounds, 8 ounces
- David Squires 9 pounds, 1 ounce
- Christopher Nichols 9 pounds, 0 ounces
But that’s not it, mark your calendars for the Catfish Derby T-Shirt Party on September 8, 2018 from 2 – 6 PM at the American Legion Post #351, 50 St. Kolbe Drive, Holyoke, MA. You must wear your 2018 Catfish Derby T-Shirt for FREE Admission to party (admission includes Free food, beer, soda, and snacks.) Trade fishing stories, listen or dance to music, win prizes with DJ trivia, enter the raffle for great prizes. Come have some fun and make it a family affair!
