The City of Sault Ste. Marie, along with the Soo Area Sportsmen's Club, recently opened a kids' fishing pond in a city park for the summer in what has become a summer tradition.
The fishing pond is stocked with rainbow trout each summer, with a blocker net creating the angling area at Rotary Park in Sault Ste. Marie from June to September. It was first created in 2004 and has been a success each year.
"In our experience, young anglers can lose interest quickly," says Roger Greil, who manages the pond and the
LSSU Aquatic Research Laboratory. "While fishing at this pond, there always seems to be someone catching fish. It gets a lot of use and it's rare to drive by and not see kids there fishing during the summer. Everyone who has seen it agrees that it is a great thing for our kids and provides a wonderful opportunity for young anglers under 17 years old to fish."
It's backed by the Soo Area Sportsmen's Club, the City of Sault Ste Marie, Lake Superior State University and Cloverland Electric Cooperative.
The fishing pond also hosts youth groups, a biweekly "Fishing Buddies" program, and the
Connor Gorsuch Kids Fishing Day, held the last Saturday in July.
The sportsmen's club is coordinating the purchase of fish for the pond to keep it stocked through the summer, and Greil says the undertaking can be costly.
"If any individual or organization would like to help out with this, please let us know," Greil says. "Any amount of assistance is welcome."
The club is planning to stock 500 rainbow trout each month in the pond. The fish average about 12 inches and cost about $3.30 each. It also costs $250 to transport the live fish to the pond.
Sault Ste. Marie residents should note the pond is for kids to fish in, not adults, Greil says.
"If you are old enough to need a fishing license, then you cannot fish the pond," he said. "If parents need to help their children with casting, baiting hooks, that is fine, but please do not fish for your child."
For more information,
email Greil.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Roger Greil, LSSU
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