MARYSVILLE — Jennings Park and Twin Lakes County Park drew hundreds of children each for their annual kids’ fishing events last spring, and event organizers are already anticipating comparable crowds for this year’s events.
Saturday, May 3, will see the Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club teaming up with the Marysville Kiwanis Club, John’s Sporting Goods and the city of Marysville Parks and Recreation Department in sponsoring the 20th annual free fishing derby at Jennings Park from 8-11 a.m. for children aged 5-12 years.
John Martinez, owner of John’s Sporting Goods in Everett, noted that he and city of Marysville Parks and Recreation Director Jim Ballew started the fishing derby for their own children two decades ago.
“It’s grown just about every year since,” said Martinez, who explained that the Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club’s 100 loaner rods and reels circulated quickly through last year’s attendees, thanks to the numbers and sizes of trout in the stocked pond. “A few years ago, we had about 1,200 fish for each fishing derby, but last year, there were at least 3,000 fish, more than a lot of local lakes.”
Children may bring their own equipment, or use the equipment that is provided, and a limit of one fish per entrant will be enforced.
Door prizes and grand prizes will be determined by a random drawing of all participants, while the Marysville Kiwanis Club will be serving a pancake breakfast from 8-11 a.m. in the Jennings Park Barn, to help raise money for community youth programs.
Penny Ploeger, of the Marysville Kiwanis Club, estimated they served up 350 plates of pancake breakfasts last year, with the aid of about a dozen student members of the Kiwanis Key Club.
The cost for the breakfast is $3 a plate for kids and $5 for adults, and all participants are asked to bring a canned food item to be donated to the Marysville Community Food Bank.
City of Marysville Parks Maintenance Manager Mike Robinson touted last year’s haul of 500 pounds of food and $50 in cash for the Marysville Community Food Bank.
Please leave pets at home. For more information on the fishing derby, please call 360-363-8400.
The Evergreen Steelhead and Salmon Club’s next kids’ fishing event will take place at the Twin Lakes County Park in Smokey Point, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, and will be offered to children aged 5-14 years.
Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club event organizer Jim Brauch filled the waters of Twin Lakes County Park with an estimated 4,000 fish last year, many of them were between 3-6 pounds.
For more information on either of the two kids’ fishing events, log onto www.esscwa.com.
