A fishing derby is an invitation to go fishing. A fishing derby is an organized, large group event where participants fish and are actively involved in fishing-related activities. Although the related activities may be for education, public relations, or even fund-raising, the focus of every fishing derby is the chance for youth and adults to fish in a group setting under controlled conditions at a place that provides a positive, quality experience.
Most fishing derbies are youth-oriented events or at least encourage youth participation.
They attract the people who will be the anglers of the future. Because these anglers are stakeholders in fisheries and aquatic resources and support conservation of these resources, building and maintaining a strong angler constituency is important to maintaining and enhancing valuable fishery resources. Fishing derbies can be an important part of a fishery program and can achieve several significant goals. Fishing derbies are excellent family activities and are conducive to participation by the increasing number of single-parent families. It is important to get a child excited about fishing, but it is also important to get the parent or adult excited about fishing and about fishing as a family activity.