Fish On!

 Smiles, screams of excitement and cheers were all witnessed at our Kids Fishing Day Event that took place on Saturday, May 18th! The event was a great success with 172 kids that participated and over 320 people in attendance. For some this was their very first-time fishing. For everyone it was a day of fun and making memories! There were four learning stations where children were able to gain some newfound knowledge. The stations included rules and regulations by our state and federal wardens, mussel ID by our hatchery staff, fish ID by our hatchery staff and water/boat safety tips provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. After the learning stations, the children were off to catch up to five fish in the hatchery pond. A huge thank you to the Friends of the Upper Mississippi for sponsoring the event! They also provided a fish cleaning station for families to take home clean trout and arranged a light lunch for all to enjoy! We had over 30 volunteers to help make this event successful! Thank you for the overwhelming support from the Friends of the Upper Mississippi, Roch Kendrick foundation, Friends of Pool 9, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fisheries and Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge and our community. Thank you! By: Erica Rasmussen