LAKE MILTON — Seventy-two young anglers cast their lines at the 31st Cindy Dean Memorial Kids Fishing Derby on Saturday — an annual free event hosted by Muskies Inc. Cleveland Chapter No. 23 to teach children the basics of fishing.

“It’s just become a part of the community,” said Chris DePaola, the chapter’s youth director. “I’ve had kids here 30 years ago that now are bringing their kids.”

The fishing derby is named after Cindy Dean, the daughter of one of the chapter’s members, who died from a childhood illness at age 8. She loved to go fishing with her family.

DePaola emphasized the importance of sparking kids’ interest in the outdoors, stating that some families mark the first Saturday of June for the event each year.

Saturday’s furthest travelers came from Linesville, Pennsylvania — more than an hour’s drive to Lake Milton State Park.

This year’s event was the first for 3-year-old Samuel Richards of North Canton, who caught the first fish of the day.

“The kids could not wait. They’ve been talking about it all week,” said his mother, Ashley Richards.

She also mentioned how well the team does the job by organizing the event and providing a free lunch. Samuel’s sister, Peyton, and father Chad were fishing with them as well.

“It’s fun but it’s also relaxing,” said 13-year-old Jacob Gleydura, as he looked out over the lake. He and his brother, Lucas, were fishing side by side. Lucas Gleydura, 11, said he doesn’t let himself get impatient when waiting for a fish to bite.

“It’s a great thing; the kids love it. We’ve got families traveling from all over,” said Bob Basic, chapter president.

The chapter members hope that the annual derby will get more families hooked on fishing year after year.

“We’ve got a lot of happy faces today,” said John Trevelline, state park manager. Trevelline commended the team for helping the kids with fish identification, catch-and-release and the concept of leaving no trace behind by avoiding litter.

DePaola and Trevelline brought up a story from last year when a child reeled in an old cash register drawer. This year, bluegills were the majority of what was on the other end of the line.

The roughly 75 “muskie” members of the chapter hope to teach future generations the importance of learning about and helping keep around the muskellunge, a freshwater fish native to North America.

The muskellunge are also known as the “fish of 10,000 casts” because of their rarity and aggressive nature.