This is the fourth year the event has taken place, and it’s grown substantially since the first one in 2022. A total of 26 boat captains and one fly fishing guide took out 68 veterans for a morning of fishing followed by a luncheon in Ludington Park. The fly fishing was new this year.

Differing from a tournament, the Bay Area Veterans Fishing Derby is recreational as opposed to competitive. The volunteer organizers and boaters partake as a way to thank and give back to area veterans.

“There is no weighing of fish, (and) you don’t have to keep them,” organizer Jeff Sierpien said. “The purpose is just to go out and have fun and fish for what you want. And, you know, you can keep them, or you can throw them back. It’s a derby. So it’s not a tournament where you’re competing against people. It’s just a fun day where we all go out fishing in the morning.”

Saturday of Labor Day weekend ended up being mostly sunny in Escanaba, with winds fluctuating between zero and 12 mph but hovering around 5 mph on average. While most anglers went out on Little Bay de Noc, some took to an inland lake.

Navy veteran Dan Helman holds up a whopper of a salmon he caught from Steve Segar's boat during the Bay Area Veterans Fishing Derby on Saturday. (Courtesy photo)

After the morning of fishing, a large luncheon was provided to the veterans and volunteers in Ludington Park. A raffle followed that included substantial prizes donated from various businesses, service organizations and individual donors who make the annual event possible.

At least one boat opted to go out in the evening instead of the morning. Navy veteran Dan Helman was one of a handful of vets who went out with Steve Segar on his boat, expecting the salmon fishing to be better then.

Helman said that it was an “awesome,” adrenaline-filled experience to go way out on the big water in Lake Michigan.

“I’ve never gone that far out (to fish) — I mean, I was in the Navy and then out on the ships like that, but by going 27 miles out and catching them big fish … was very fun,” Helman said. “It was a perfect night that night, too. I mean, it was like — the moon was perfect, and there was hardly no waves out there, and I think we just got lucky on the weather.”

Participants in the derby caught salmon, walleye, bass, sheepshead, perch and trout. The anglers on the inland lake were successful in hooking largemouth bass.

Jessica Ramos smiles while holding a fish caught during an Escanaba-based fishing derby for military veterans this weekend. (Courtesy photo)

“The Veteran Fishing Derby is another way that we as a community can set aside a day and say thank you to our veterans,” Sierpien said. “The reputation of this event has been very positive and we can see that with its continued growth. It’s actually amazing on how fast it’s grown. We couldn’t do this without our volunteer boat captains and various donations.”

Helman said he hopes that more boats get involved next year so that even more veterans are able to go. The first year he tried to attend, all the slots were filled up.

“I would recommend any veteran to take advantage of this anytime you can, because it’s probably one time in a lifetime for some people to go out there,” Helman said.

Kenneth Fletcher got to be a part of the Bay Area Veterans Fishing Derby's first fly fishing adventure. (Courtesy photo)

Cheryl Griggs poses with a walleye she caught during the Bay Area Veterans Fishing Derby, which was held Saturday. (Courtesy photo)

Courtesy photo