Fishing day gives teaching moment

Though attendance may not have been as high as in previous years, the Troy Kids’ Fishing Day brought in new and experienced anglers for a chance to try out their rods — or, for those without one, to use one loaned by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Children attending the annual event at Roosevelt Park on Saturday were allowed to catch as many fish as they could, and keep up to one, said FWP fisheries biologist Jim Dunnigan.

In fact, the FWP personnel running the event cleaned the keepers and put them on ice for children who wanted to keep catching and releasing.

“If they don’t have a pole, we’ve got bait and everything ready to go for ‘em, and some goodies that we give away,” Dunnigan said.

The Fix family came from Kalispell, said mother Leslie Fix. They heard about the event, and since she was a little out of practice herself, Fix thought it would be a good way to get her sons out, including her youngest, five year old Jason, who had never been fishing before.

“It’s awesome. I’m super impressed,” Fix said. “They did a great job, with all the handouts, and they were super helpful in the kiosk too.”

Eleven year old Lucas Peterson from Troy caught a roughly 8 pound rainbow trout, which he said was about the third largest fish he has caught. Once he got it home, he planned to possibly filet and barbecue his fish.

FWP keeps the pond stocked, and aside from regular use by residents, hosts a number of events and groups at the Kids’ Pond at Roosevelt Park throughout the year, Dunnigan said. In the past week, they worked with a group from Achievements and setup stations and demonstrations for over 100 kindergarten students from Libby Elementary School.

“It’s a success no matter how many kids turn out,” Dunnigan said. “To me, it’s not about the number, you know, just as long as kids have fun doing it.”

Going on 16 years of having fishing days for children at the park, Dunnigan said he looks forward to the event every year.

Dunnigan said he is amazed for this area of Montana and all the opportunities to fish, how often he comes across children who have never been fishing before.

Pointing out one five year old boy who had caught around a half dozen fish that day, Dunnigan said he expects the boy will be “hooked” for the rest of his life.

“We saw a lot of young kids today catch their first fish ever, and that’s pretty cool,” he said.

And that is important beyond just the enjoyment the children get out of fishing, Dunnigan said. It may help children to understand the value of the resources around them, and how to make use of those resources responsibly.

“It’s introducing them to the right way to do fishing, introducing them to the concept of, it’s OK to harvest fish to eat, but it’s OK too, if you want, to fish just for the joy of it to turn them loose,” he said.

With such diverse opportunities in this area of Montana for children to get out and enjoy the outdoors, Dunnigan said he enjoys helping to build that appreciation.

“Just getting kids out is what it’s all about,” he said.