Murrysville sportsmen's group brings back annual youth fishing derby

The Sportsmen and Landowners Alliance of Murrysville is bringing back its youth fishing tournament after a four-year hiatus.

The 2024 SLAM Youth Fishing Derby will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 18 along Haymaker’s Run in front of the Franklin Regional Intermediate School in Murrysville.

“Right after the 2019 tournament, we had some flooding, kind of like what we’ve having now,” said SLAM member Darren Miller of Murrysville, who was looking out his Pittsburgh office window at flooded areas of Downtown on Wednesday morning.

“Haymaker Run, for the most part, was pretty well destroyed. The jack dams were broken, some of the bridges that crossed the stream were damaged. Then the pandemic hit,” he said.

SLAM officials reached out to the Westmoreland Conservation District as well as the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission last year, and were able to pursue grant funding for a roughly $60,000 repair project, Miller said.

SLAM President Carl Patty said the funding was used to replace jack dams — which create slower-flowing areas of the creek where fish gather — as well as the former handicap access ramp which was washed away in 2019. That project wrapped up this past fall.

“I’m really happy we’re able to bring it back,” Patty said. “We were going to do some other things over there, but with the rising cost of fish, they decided not to stock the stream for the opening of trout season. And it’s probably a good idea, because the water’s extremely high right now, almost out to (Sardis Road).”

Miller can remember attending the derby in his youth.

“It’s been a staple of the community since 1986,” he said. “Growing up it was always one of my favorite things during the year. I’ve been involved on and off over the years, and bringing it back has been very well received. We’ve gotten some donations and people are excited about it.”

The derby will be at 4121 Sardis Road in Murrysville. It is for children ages 15 and under. Registration is available online at RB.gy/cft88q. For more information, email murrysville.slam@gmail.com.