June 5, 2017 at 4:37 p.m.
Families enjoy a free fishing weekend
4H Family Fishing Fun Day provides fishing for all
Families enjoy a free fishing weekend
"What's really great about this event is that, we do start planning in January, but it doesn't take a lot," said organizer Lynn Feldman, 4-H youth development director. "It's almost like clockwork now. We have a group of about five planners. They go out and talk to their usual contacts, and we never have anyone say no."
Holding the event on Free Fishing Weekend works perfectly because everyone knows the first weekend in June will be the date, and it makes planning that much easier, Feldman added, noting that working with the city and parks officials has been a great experience as well. Feldman said 30 different community groups come together to help make the event a success every year.
"There's really something for everybody," Feldman said. "We want to make sure it's geared toward youth, but it's geared toward adults, too, with some of the things."
Warden Jim Jung was on hand to talk fishing and boating regulations, Representatives from the Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department talked with families about aquatic invasive species and how to stop their spread and lakes specialist Pat Goggin from UW-Extension Lakes provided information about invertebrates and other "critters" found in and near our waters.
"We're here engaging with kids, trying to get them to think about maybe taking up fishing for a lifetime and talking about how we keep clean water and healthy habitat for fish," Goggin said. "The way we're going about that is by using aquatic insects. We're talking about them being the bottom of the food chain for fish and the habitat and wood needed for those fish to be healthy."
Goggin had three types of "critters," he said, some from a retention pond near Kwik Trip, some from the Deerskin River, which is fast flowing and others from a lake. He used these to show the different insects and bugs that can be found and how they are important.
"The way we're talking about vegetation is, for example, dragonflies alight onto the vegetation and they do their thing," he said. "A lot of folks don't know how important that vegetation is to the world of water. So we have that discussion."
The day was just as much about education as fishing. Children ran from station to station soaking up all of the knowledge they could and receiving a prize for their efforts. As each child registered for the event, they were given a minnow bucket. That bucket was filled with a variety of fishing-related prizes as they moved through the stations. There were games and creative activities as well. Kids were able to create their own Water Cycle bracelet at one 4H booth and the Crescent Fire Department hosted the perennial favorite, minnow races. Fundah's Frozen Treats provided a frozen treat for each of the kid and the Lions hot dog stand provided lunch for hungry young anglers.
"In time we are looking at making this a more holistic activity," Feldman said. "With that we're getting what animals besides fish are present when we are fishing. We want to go into the water cycle and the ecology of the lakes a little bit, because we live in a county with 1,100 lakes. Recognizing the therapeutic value, whether you're fishing or just looking at the water, research has shown water has a therapeutic effect on us. We just want everyone to be able to experience it."
It is a low-cost activity that is very accessible to everyone, she added, noting that the hope is that engaging people in the environment around them will build a stewardship focus.
Beckie Gaskill may be reached at bjoki@ lakelandtimes.com.
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