FARMINGTON — In less than four minutes, Tasha Pomelow of Farmington caught the first fish — a 10-inch rainbow trout — at the fifth annual derby at Rollo Pond on Wednesday.

Pomelow was the only one to catch her two-fish limit within the hourlong derby, which is held for adults with developmental disabilities.

Prizes were awarded to those who caught the first three fish, as well as the participant who caught the heaviest fish.

Soon after Pomelow’s catch, Sherrie Zlotnick of Wilton quickly reeled in a 10½-inch brook trout as her brother, Terry, watched.

Pomelow and Zlotnick have participated and won prizes in the annual fishing derby sponsored by the Farmington Recreation Department and Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Farmington. The derby is held prior to the Flagg Family July 4 fishing derby for children.

The third fish, caught by Tom Dye of Farmington, turned out to be the largest of the day — a 12-inch rainbow trout weighing 10 ounces.

Dye received a trophy for the largest fish caught, leaving an opening for Caitlin Turner of Farmington to win a trophy for the third fish caught, Steve Shible, recreation director, said.

Normally the pond is stocked the day before to let the fish acclimate, but due to recent rains, the water was too high Tuesday, Shible said.

“We were afraid we’d lose all the fish,” Matt Foster, assistant director, said.

The pond, which is on the University of Maine at Farmington campus, was stocked with about 230 brook and rainbow trout early Wednesday by Sonny Pierce of Shy Beaver Trout Hatchery in Buxton. The fish only had a couple hours to get used to their new environment before the fishing started.

Although the fish were hungry when they reached the pond, Foster was a little concerned about whether anything could be caught.

“It’s a little more challenging, but good fun,” Foster said.

As Terry Zlotnick watched his sister, Sherrie, cast her line, he said she really enjoys the derby. This was the first derby he had been able to attend.

“It’s good for them,” he said, while browsing on his phone to display photos of the fish Sherrie had posted on Facebook.

Sherrie Zlotnick, 35, caught the first trout in 2012 and the largest fish in 2011, he said. She also cleans them, he said.

Terry used to take her fishing a lot, he added.

Dye, 30, has also participated before, his mother, Corinne, said. An employee of Work First, Inc., Dye also works at Tranten’s in Farmington and Touch of Class, where he’s learning to operate the cash register.

Along with watching movies, keeping track of the weather and making jewelry, he likes to participate in activities with other people, she said.

Hunter Bolduc of Farmington, a volunteer helping Farmington Recreation Department, moved from one participant to another, helping them cast lines, net fish and unhook them from their lines.

This was the second year that Bolduc had helped Dye fish, and a bond has developed between the two, Shible said.

Due to the challenge of fishing at Rollo Pond on Wednesday, Shible told participants they could return at 4 p.m. and try again to reach their two-fish limit.

abryant@sunjournal.com