ASHFIELD — A record high of 60 kids took to the ice Sunday morning for the annual Ashfield Lake Youth Ice Fishing Derby, according to Ashfield Rod & Gun Club President Jack Shea.

Although Sunday marked the Ashfield organization’s second year collaborating with the Conway Sportsman’s Club to host the event, the day marked around 30 years of Ashfield Rod & Gun Club fishing derbies. Club member and Plainfield resident Jeff Prost drilled around 50 holes in Ashfield Lake for the competitors.

Ten-year-old Reid Jackman’s 20¾-inch pickerel hooked first place. Nine-year-old Chase Smith from Windsor snatched second place for catching five fish ranging from an 8-inch yellow perch to a 13¼-inch rainbow trout, and 14-year-old Hawley native Alex Howe won third place for his 20½-inch chain pickerel, the second largest catch of the day.

A returning competitor, Reid said he loves to fish for “the thrill when you catch that fish and you just feel like it’s the big one.” Clutching the squirming pickerel with both gloved hands, the Sunderland resident said the catch “feels good,” grinning before he kissed its scales while his brother Eliot giggled behind him.

Every fishing derby, Reid and his friend Aurora “Rory” Beck face off in an ongoing friendly competition. Shaking her head, the Conway resident, 11, sighed, “I was planning to beat these guys, but it hasn’t worked out.”

Rory started fishing when her dad handed her a fishing pole at 4 years old. Since then, she has learned to appreciate the patience fishing takes. As an outdoor sport, “It’s something to just get out of the house and do,” she explained.

“You get to play on the ice, and you get to catch the fish and pull up the fishing rod!” 10-year-old competitor Aubree Chamberlain said, echoing Rory’s love for the outdoors, even the ice.

The Ashfield Rod & Gun Club runs the derby for kids under 15 years old “to get them off this thing right here,” Shea said, shaking his cellphone. The club also supports young locals who are interested in attending either the Massachusetts Junior Conservation Camp or Vermont’s Green Mountain Conservation Camp. These one-week programs teach the pillars that the Ashfield Rod & Gun Club has focused on since its founding in 1920: hunting, fishing, camping and conservation, skills Shea insisted are shrinking.

“It used to be the area was made up of people who hunted and fished and did a lot outdoors, and that’s less and less,” Shea said. “That’s one of the missions of our club: to get young people, as much as we can, involved in the outdoors.”

“Hobbies like this build great character,” agreed Robert Hill, chair of the Ashfield Rod & Gun Club’s Fishing Committee. He joined the group two years ago and decided to help run this year’s fishing derby “to help the community and get people together to try and enjoy the winter.”

“It’s nice to get involved in these outdoor sports and activities and be part of something greater,” Hill said while waiting to measure another participant’s catch.

The derby ran through community donations. Former Ashfield Rod & Gun Club President Will Thayer grilled hot dogs and other club members handed out hot cocoa and cinnamon sugar doughnuts from local neighbors at the snowy shore. Local businesses pitched in for the prizes, including gift cards from Ashfield Hardware & Supply, Countrypie Pizza Co. and Mo’s Fudge Factor. Winners also carried tip-ups and poles home from the rod and gun club to practice their fishing for next year’s derby.