Along the dirt road surrounding Mello’s Pond, the quiet of the woods was interrupted by the periodic plunks of plastic bobbers crashing into the pond’s surface.

On Saturday, The Knights of Columbus’ annual fishing derby had 53 kids — along with help from their parents and grandparents — compete for the biggest or the most fish.

Ken Cotta, who co-created the event 26 years ago, wandered around the edges of Mello’s Pond, a man-made body of water located off Old West Road, to help young fishers cast their lines. His advice: keep your body still and flick with your wrist. This key piece of advice brought in nearly 100 fish in three hours during the derby.

Cotta said he’s always scheduled a rain date for the event, but has never had to use it. This year, as the sun rose and kids made their way to the water’s edge, there wasn’t a cloud in sight.

“Kids love it. We have second-generation people bringing their kids,” said Cotta.

“I’ll never forget, the first time we did this, we had to go in front of the school committee,” said Bob Peckham, the event’s co-creator. “The superintendent said to us, ‘I hope isn’t going to be a one-year thing.’ The superintendent’s long-gone, and we’re still here.”

Participants could catch bass between 7 and 10 a.m., and every catch has to be tossed back. In order to keep track of the kids’ catches, three volunteers riding ATVs drove around the dirt road circling the pond to weigh fish. Coolers full of live bait were strapped to the front of their vehicles to ensure everyone was able to fish continuously.

Trophies were given to the top three boys and girls who brought in the biggest fish, the most fish or the most fish by weight.

Entrants were also given a free hat courtesy of the event’s co-sponsor, the Dartmouth Rotary Club. The tan hats had a simple message blazoned across the front: “Get hooked on fishing not drugs.”

The message derived from the Dartmouth Police Athletic League, a group that had ties to the event before Knights of Columbus took over sponsorship several years ago.

“That’s a slogan that they started from day one, and we kept it going,” said Knight of Columbus member Ed Viveiros. “We kept that message because we thought it was important.”

“It’s such a powerful message — especially nowadays,” said Chris Pereira, Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus. “Hopefully, this is a message they can take with them.”

Pereira said there’s more to the derby than anti-drug messaging. It’s about being outside with family.

“It’s great because it’s one-on-one time with the kids. It’s away from computers and cell phones,” he said.

Hans Bendiksen, a father of two, said he woke up his daughter and son at 5:30 a.m. to attend the competition.

“We’ve done a lot of salt water fishing. I figured we’d give it a shot. It’s been fun,” said Bendiksen, adding that his daughter, Marlee, caught the second fish of the day.

“It’s been slow-going since then. But they’re doing great. They love having lines in the water,” he said.

By 9:30 a.m., Juliana Rivera, 10, had caught more than a dozen fish. She said it was her third or fourth year participating in the event. Last year, she won a trophy for most fish caught by weight — an award she won again this year.

The key to Rivera’s success: “Active bait. I use shiners.”

The day’s winners:

Top three biggest catches: (girls) Ashley Griffiths, Kaylin Silva, Isabella Viveiros; (boys) Lenny Czapiga, Ryan Phillips, Brandon Silva

Most fish by weight: (girls) Juliana Riviera, Andrea Thibodeau, Jillian Leary; (boys) Aaron Charest, Ian Hamlet, Kory Silber

Most fish total: (girls) Jacquline Thibodeau, Molly Costa, Brook Davis; (boys) Chase Healy, Mathew Costa, Sam St. Dennis