A monthlong fishing contest is set to kick off Saturday in Tamaqua.

The inaugural Tom Banditelli Memorial Trout Fishing Derby will start this weekend throughout the Little Schuylkill River.

Banditelli, who was a pillar of the Tamaqua community and avid fisherman, passed away in January.

“He founded it years ago, but it’s the first year with his name on it that I’m running it. It seems like there is a lot of excitement about it,” Tom Banditelli Jr. “We have the grand prize sitting here in my store (Tom’s Auto & Marine) that people can view. A lot of young kids come in here and get all pumped up about it.”

Tom’s father, “He came out of the Air Force in ’64 and started this business. Only a couple years after he started the business, he got into the hobby of fishing,” said Banditelli.

“He did a lot of Canadian fishing. They used to have groups of guys that went up to the St. Lawrence River and fished for a weekend or a long week. From there on, besides running the business, fishing was his life.

The Schuylkill Headwaters Association will be stocking fish at seven locations throughout the area on Saturday at noon. Aimee Dotson, Office and Outreach Administrator of the Tamaqua Area Chamber of Commerce said the association donated “hundreds” of them.

“Linda Marchalk had the idea to bring it back and give it a rebirth here,” Dotson said. “We reached out to Tom, and we had a great group of people to work with. He was on board with it and it fell together very easily. Everyone was really excited and wiling to make it happen.”

Stocking locations include the confluence where Locust Creek meets the Little Schuylkill River will be the northern most point, multiple spots on Taggertsville Road, Elm St. Bridge in Tamaqua, behind Boyer’s Food Market in Tamaqua and also across from the auto shop.

“When he was here, he loved it so much that it became part of our business,” said Banditelli. “He decided to have a bait and tackle shop. At one time we sold boats, it kind of fizzled out. But we stayed with the tackle store and it’s still going strong.”

There are 11 prizes, including one grand prize - a fully stocked two-man fishing boat filled with fishing gear, valued over $800.

Participants can register any time before Saturday at Tom’s Auto & Marine, at the borough or on the day of the event from 8 a.m. to noon. Cost is $20 and includes a 2021 trout button and stocking schedule.

If a participant pulls a tagged fish, he or she can take the tag off the fish and take the tag to Tom’s Auto & Marine to claim the prize.

The contest officially concludes May 29. Anyone 16 years or older must have a fishing license.