KANKAKEE – As the sun glared off the Kankakee River on Saturday, 7-year-old Kolton Baker and his mother, Chris Gankel, both of Bourbonnais, were casting out lines at Fisherman Park in Kankakee for their third year participating in the Kankakee River Fishing Derby.

The pair also were practicing their patience with what they thought to be a large catfish on the line. The line had snapped twice so far, the hook baited three times.

Baker, who learned to fish through the Reel Justice Fishing Club, a community initiative started by the Kankakee County State’s Attorney’s Office, said he hopes to make the Big Board this year.

He has learned a lot in the past two derbies, he said.

“He would stay out here morning, noon and night if he could,” Gankel said. “He loves this.”

The pair arrived around 5 p.m. with no set end time, and planned to be back out many days of the derby, which runs through Sunday, July 6.

Big Board leaders

As of Wednesday morning:

Channel Catfish: Bill Osborne, of Braidwood, 12 lbs., 13 oz.

Crappie: Jeff Dummer, of Kankakee, 1 lb.

Flathead Catfish: David Kletz, of Bloomington, 34 lbs., 14 oz.

Large Mouth Bass: Dylan Cohen, of St. Anne, 2 lbs. 12 oz.

Northern Pike: Beau Johnson, of Chebanse, 8 lbs. 1 oz.

Rock Bass: Alaina Schnepf, of Momence, 13 oz.

Rough Fish: Fernando Barrera III, of Kankakee, 17 lbs., 3 oz.

Small Mouth Bass: Darrell Benoit, of Bourbonnais, 3 lbs., 12 oz.

Walleye: Darrell Benoit, of Bourbonnais, 6 lbs., 15 oz.

Check for lead changes at kankakeefishingderby.com/bigboard.

This story has been updated to reflect the Big Board leader in the flathead catfish and other categories as of 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 2, 2025.