Fishing for the Kids

The grin on Kevin Forgette's face after it was announced his 11.5-pound bluefish was the heaviest reeled in at the 4th annual Long Island Sound Bluefish Tournament Sunday only told half the story of the weekend event.

The Stratford resident received a cool $60 and some of the latest fishing gear donated by, among other local shops, Ferry Boulevard's Harborview Bait & Tackle.

But the majority of entry fee money -- which totaled $655 this year -- went to the Stratford Professional Firefighters Burn Foundation, which in turn will forward most of the funds to a summer camp program in Union, Conn. that allows young burn victims to enjoy an all-expenses-paid week just being kids.

"We have a handful of guys that go up there," said Tom Goodman, a Stratford firefighter who was in charge of weighing the fish at the Birdseye Boat Boat Ramp Sunday. "They do everything, the guys cook, lifeguard."

Another portion of the money will go toward the construction of a stay room at the burn unit in Bridgeport Hospital, said Lt. Jim Mecozzi. The room is designed as a comfortable place for families to stay while a loved one is treated or heals in the hospital, Mecozzi said.

"The firefighters throw a great tournament and it's great that it's for charity," said Milford resident Lynn Pritchard, winner of the women's group with her 9.51-pound bluefish.

The tournament had 20 entrants this year, about half of the number that the two-day fishing competition usually draws, said Mecozzi. Two of the reasons the tourney was put together last minute, he said, was Tropical Storm Irene and the hiring of a new fire chief.

Though the attendance was down compared to previous years, the enthusiasm on a clear, windy late-summer day was sky-high -- especially if you were one of the winners.

The winner of the kids group was 7-year-old Jonathan Schmedlin, whose father, Chris, is the owner of Harborview Bait & Tackle. After being handed the money and fishing gear from Lt. Mecozzi, the son passed the equipment back to dad and pocketed the three 20s.