Thursday, 18 June 2009

•  The first weekend of the month we volunteered at our STEP (Salmon Trout Enhancement Programs) year Kid's Free Fishing Clinic. Our group gets under legal size trout in March that our group puts into a net pen on Eel Lake. Volunteers feed the trout until they are legal size or larger. On the Saturday of Oregon's Free Fishing Weekend (no one needs a license to fish) we pull the net pen over to a fishing dock on the lake. We set up stations where the children 13 and under register then take a passport to be checked off at various stations like knot tying, fish identification, casting, etc. Then the kids go to the dock where we have fishing poles provided with bait and they fish directly out of the net pen where there are over 1000 hungry Rainbow trout. Some of the children are as young as 1 yr old. The adult STEP Volunteers have as much fun watching them catch the fish as the kids have catching their guaranteed fish. The voulunteers suffer a few injuries like hooks caught in fingers and clothes while trying to take the fish of the hook as the excited child is waving the fishing pole around to show Mom and Dad their catch.  Once the children  have caught at least 2 fish they can either get back in line and catch a couple more or they can have their picture taken with their fish. Then they can take their fish to the fish cleaning station where additional volunteers gut and clean the fish,  put them in bags on ice for the children to take home. If it is their 1st fish ever caught they get a "First Fish Certificate".  The sounds of glee or almost ear piercing and the smiles are broad. This year there were over 200 children participating plus their families.

  

   

  Last year and this year we have been fortunate to have the Coast Guard bring in their rescue helicopter and rescue swimmers who put on a demonstration for the crowds of young and old on the lake. I will include a slide show of the rescue swimmers being lifted into the helicopter at a later date.

   

  And as if all this excitement is not enough,  local business people donate hot dogs, hamburgers, and pop for all the public and fishing poles are given away in drawings.  What an exciting day for all the children and their families. But most exciting of all for all the many volunteers who help put on this wonderful fun family day!

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