More than twice as many people as expected attended the inaugural Kid’s Fishing Classic, presented by FROGGZ Bass Club and Fort Riley Outdoorsmen Group, May 9 at Moon Lake.
“The turnout was tremendous,” said Roger Matthews, FROGGZ Bass Club representative. “We had 178 people show up today, and we were planning on 70.”
Stations were set up to teach children things like how to tie knots, identify fish, regulations and boater safety, Matthews said.
“The purpose of the event was to bring together all the kids from the local area and introduce them to fishing — a tradition that’s been around for generations — and try to get kids out of the indoors and to enjoy the outdoor life here,” Matthews said.
Matthews said the event was a success.
“My favorite part of the day by far was to see a kid catch his first fish,” he said.
“There’s nothing else to describe it in the world whenever you’ve got a kid who’s not quite sure how to hold a fish, but you see the sparkle in his eyes like ‘hey, this is something I enjoy doing.’”
Aiden Prather, 4, said it was fun when he caught his first fish using his Spongebob Squarepants fishing rod. Members of the FROGGZ Bass Club taught him to exaggerate the size of the five-inch fish he caught the next time he told the story.
Participants were served hamburgers and hot dogs for lunch, and children were entered in prize drawings that went on throughout the morning. Prizes that were donated by sponsors included fishing tackle, fishing poles and a four-wheeler.
The FROGGZ Bass Club has already started making plans to make next year’s version even bigger.
By Parker Rome
Staff writer
Parker Rome | POST
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