FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – Hundreds of kids cast a line at a free kids fishing derby, this weekend.
600 trout were put into the ponds at Fresno’s Woodward Park on Saturday.
The non-profit Central Valley Sportsman Club hosted the derby.
Club Secretary Mike Aranaydo said normally the event is held the first weekend in May, but they moved it up because they could get trout when the water was colder to add more fish for the derby.
“Everything for the kids is free, we provide the bait, we stock fish, and fish and game helped us this year, and added some trout, ” said Arnaydo.
The derby is now in its 44 year.
250 kids were registered, 11-year-old Zeke Dolan was one of them.
Zeke Dolan: “I’ve been out here for about four hours.”
KMJ’s Liz Kern: “How did you do?”
Zeke: “We caught about nine fish.”
KMJ’s Liz Kern: “Is that pretty good?”
Zeke: “Oh, yeah, that’s REALLY good, but at first, we can’t use lures – that’s one of the derby rules is because you catch fish too easily. I threw one in and in the next thirty seconds I caught a fish.”
Aranaydo said they plan to hold the 45th derby next year.
Click to listen to the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern:
