The first day of trout season has always been a big deal for the Gombosh family.
It became more so after 15-year-old Joey Gombosh fell ill and died in 1995 after he returned from a fishing outing at Northmoreland Park.
“This keeps his memory alive,” said Bob Gombosh, who along with his wife, Patty, oversees what has become a Murrysville tradition to commemorate their son. Dozens of young children and teenagers convened upon Townsend Park early Saturday morning for the Joey Gombosh Fishing Derby.
“He fished every opportunity he could, and he fished here a lot,” Patty Gombosh said. “We feel he is here every year. His name is all around the community, and his name is at the forefront of this park. We have kids who fished with him here today fishing with their own kids.”
The Gomboshes moved from their Delmont home to Miami, Fla. about a decade ago. They return yearly to run the fishing derby.
They bring in about 400 trout to stock the pond at Townsend Park, including 30 trophy size fish of at least 17 inches.
After about 90 minutes of fishing, 18 prize trout had been caught, including one each by 13- and 12-year-old brothers Lincoln and Colton Pease.
“They’ve been fishing for years and actually caught their first fish here,” said the boy’s mother, Susan Magerl Pease. “I grew up in Murrysville and moved to Georgia but we return to visit my parents. Every time we come up to see my family, we fish here.”
And the fishing was good on a rainy Saturday morning. Trophy fish have been rare in recent years, said Bob Gombosh. Just 10 were landed last year and five in 2023.
Declan Lekki, 12, of Murrysville, who caught two of the prizing-winning trout, said the rain led to good fishing.
His grandfather, Joe Maxim, 62, of Murrysville, said he first attended the fishing derby with his son and now brought his grandson to cast a line on the first day of the season.
“It’s phenomenal for this to be here,” Maxim said. “We wouldn’t miss it.”
