Kids Enjoy Opening Day Fishing at Borst Park

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    The big Opening Day soiree returns as a special event for youngsters as the Centralia Lions Club mounts yet another semi-derby at Fort Borst Park. It’s been a park tradition since the local Lions held an impromptu gathering of fishing kids and their parents back before 1960 — less than ten years after the pond was dug to furnish material for the construction of I-5.

    Based on all the records we could find, the kid-and-parent outing is apparently the longest-running kidfishing event in Washington, often drawing in excess of 500 young anglers and a larger number of parents or fishing mentors.

    This year the tradition continues, and the Lions Club members have their collective fingers crossed for good weather, according to Jackie Searing, publicist for this season’s big opening day get-together at the park.

    WDFW crews have planted the bulk of the summer’s 8,190 catchable hatchery rainbows and some 372 lunker triploid rainbow trout in preparation for the derby.

    “Our members have been working steadily to get ready,” Searing noted. “We’ll have the usual hot dogs and milk for all the kids, and the coffee pot will be on for adults who accompany the trout anglers.”

    Searing said a growing list of prizes is being collected for various drawings at the derby-day festivities. “We’ve seen incredible generosity from Sunbird’s,” Searing said. “They’ve provided all sorts of camping and fishing gear, and promised more.”



    Prizes are distributed by a drawing rather than any creel success — or a lack of it — during the derby. Organizers didn’t want to encourage  wastage of trout, and felt kids who practiced catch-and-release should have an equal chance at snagging a prize.

    Once again the firefighters from Riverside Fire Authority have taken up a collection among themselves to provide three brand-new bicycles and helmets for three lucky ticket holders. The fire authority provides emergency vehicles and emergency response personnel at the gathering as a precaution to protect the youngsters and their adult companions, but the bikes are a personal gift from the firefighters.

    The annual derby begins at around 8 a.m. on the west side of Borst Park Pond, although fishing is permitted anytime after midnight. The drawings for prizes is expected to begin at about noon, but inclement weather has hastened that process in the past.

    The derby is open to any juvenile angler aged 14 or younger. Adults may assist the younger kids but may not fish independently.