news
LANSING--Fishing season may be winding down for many anglers across Michigan, but the action is just heating up at the DNR State Fair Pocket Park.
Although the 1999 Michigan State Fair ended on Labor Day, Detroit area youngsters still have an opportunity to go fishing for more than 6,000 fish that remain in the Small Fry Fishin^ Hole inside the Department of Natural Resources Pocket Park located at the Michigan State Fairgrounds at Eight Mile Road and Woodward Avenue in Detroit. The "Catch a Meal" event at the Pocket Park will help remove fish stocked into the pond for a summer of fishing fun that concluded with the Michigan State Fair.
"We stocked 8,000 hybrid bluegills into the pond for our summer fishing program and the State Fair, which is more than this pond can sustain," said Ken Dodge, DNR Urban Fishing Program Coordinator. "Now we have a unique opportunity for children to learn how to fish, and to help us reduce the fish population in the pond."
Fishing programs will be scheduled for groups of youth, age seven through 16, at the Pocket Park pond every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 4 to 6 p.m., from September 20 through October 15. A maximum of 20 children will be able to fish at any one time. The youngsters also will be given a fish cleaning demonstration. Preregistration is required by calling one of the contacts listed below.
The DNR Pocket Park and Small Fry Fishin^ Hole were a big hit with families and children during this year^s Michigan State Fair. More than 10,000 people--kids and adults--gave fishing a try at the fishing pond, the centerpiece of the two-acre park which opened in 1998 to get more residents of southeast Michigan involved with outdoor recreation. An estimated 100,000 people visited the DNR Pocket Park this year.
The "Catch a Meal" program is being offered by the DNR in cooperation with Michigan State University Cooperative Extension and Project F.I.S.H. To schedule a fishing session for your group, contact Gary Williams at 313-833-3299, Mark Stephens at 517-432-2700 or Ken Dodge at 517 780-7902.
Uploaded: 9/18/1999
Uploaded: 9/18/1999