Young anglers will have an opportunity to wet a line and possibly take home a prize during the Lions Club’s third annual kids fishing derby at South County Park Pond in Toledo. The derby is open to all children 14 years of age and younger and will take place from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 14.
“We’re hoping to have 400 fishers and we’ve got 100 prizes to give away, so we’re pretty excited this year,” said Lions Club representative Penny Lancaster. “It’s a skills event so the kids win prizes based on the weight of their fish.”
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will stock 1,500 trout, including two dozen weighing 3 to 5 pounds apiece, in advance of the derby. The pond will be closed to the public on May 12-13 in order to keep the piscatorial prospects primed in the pond.
During the derby the pond will only be open to youths registered in the event but it will reopen to the general public at 2 p.m., after the derby’s conclusion.
South County Park Pond is located near the Cowlitz River just south of downtown Toledo. No fishing license is required for anglers 14 years of age and younger.
For more information, contact Lancaster by email at penny_lancaster@msn.com, or John Weinheimer of the WDFW by phone at (360) 906-6746.
