Kismet’s Annual Arthur Lem Memorial Snapper Tournament

 

                               Photos & text by Bradlee White

 

Warren, Mugsy & Howard

 

The Arthur Lem Memorial Fishing Tournament for Children now serves as an additional memorial to Joyce Cole, whom we lost earlier this summer.

Arthur’s son, Warren, told us his father passed away in July of 1997 and the tournament began in 1998. Arthur spent a lot if time fishing on the Kismet ferry dock and taught generations of kids how to fish.  Friends such as the Ryans and the Jack Bakers suggested the Snapper derby would be a great way to pay tribute to Arthur by continuing the tradition of passing on the joys of fishing to Kismet’s children.

 

It is a catch and release tournament to teach children good sustainable "green initiative" practices and sportsmanship.  

 

The tradition has continued to be carried on by the Lem family, the Cole family and Buddy Schumacher. Sponsors provided lunch: the Kismet Market (soda), Kismet Inn(hot dogs & fries), the Pizza Shack (ice cream) and Willy B’s Bait & Tackle provided bait and fishing supplies.  The Lem Family, today represented by Warren & Lee, Warren’s brother Howard and nephew Edmond, organized, provided trophies and ran the event with able assistance of Buddy Schumacher.  It was one of the few times Rose Lem missed the event but the weather was bad and predicted to be worse.

 

The weather was “gusty” at best, but the kids didn’t seem to mind and the tournament went off before the really heavy storm began.

 

The forty children signed up experienced the best fishing conditions ever seen in one of these tournaments.  There was a non-stop parade of young fisherfolk racing from the “hot spot” on the ferry dock to the “weighing station” at the table by the Market.  Altogether, there were sixty-nine fish caught (Casey Cole noted that Joyce was 69 at the time of her death.)

 

Trophies were given for the most fish caught:

Girls under 6:    Sammi

Girls 7-8:     Eliza

Girls 11-12: Olivia

Boys under 6:        Mickey

Boys 7-8:    Ryan 

Boys 9-10:  Joseph

Boys 11-12: Jake                       

 

There were also trophies for the girl who caught the most fish, Haley (5) and the boy was Glenn (9).

 

 

Sign in

Getting rules

 

 

Getting the bait

Fishing off the dock

Fishing for a cell phone

 

Many ways to get fish in

 

Walking the fish in: Lyden & Jen

(he caught 4 plus fish, never caught one before says mom, in honor of Grandma Joyce)

Walking the fish in: Jake

Running it in wrapped in  a cloth

In a bucket

Even biking it in

She’s not afraid to touch it -

Is helmut required in fishing

 

Casey and Brooke

 

look at my fish

 

It was this big

Fish hide sometimes

 

Time for weigh in

 

 

Edmond weighs Kai's fish

Tess

 

 

 

 

 

where’s the worms?

 

the best part

 

the girls

 

Everybody