A CALL FOR civility Saturday when the Port Angeles Kids Fishing Derby returns for the 19th consecutive year to the Lincoln Park ponds.
This is a busy event. The ponds become crowded and tempers can flare during the fishing, even with small children present.
Parents and guardians should keep in mind that volunteers have donated their time and funds to put on this event, so there’s no need to fill with rage if you perceive a slight.
Little Jack or Jill might be permanently pushed away from a lifetime of piscatorial pursuits if they catch mommy or daddy yelling and carrying on about what counts as a legal fish, or a baited hook that comes a little close for comfort.
Cliff Schleusner of Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishers, which does much of the legwork for the event, has seen his share of outbursts from angry alpha dads and mad mommas.
He doesn’t allow parking near the ponds as a safety measure.
“You never want to see anybody hurt, especially a child, if a parent gets bent out of shape and decides to leave early and peel out to show their displeasure,” Schleusner said.
Schleusner and company will man the scales near the stage as final decision-makers in case of any dispute over the origin of a fish.
“We aren’t policemen, but the final decision rests with us, as some teenage boys found out last year,” Schleusner said of some kids who attempted to bend the rules with a fraudulent fish.
Participants and their parents/guardians should be on site by 7:30 a.m. to register kids ages 5-14 for the free event.
A bullhorn signals the start of fishing at 8 a.m.
Measurement begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes at 10:30 a.m.
Awards will be handed out at 10:45 a.m., beginning with the youngest (age 5-6) of five age brackets.
The top seven in each age bracket will receive a rod and reel purchased at a discount from Swain’s by the Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishers.
“We’ve put over 500 rods out there in the community with this derby, trying to get kids learning to fish and enjoy the sport,” Schleusner said.
The overall grand prize winner will receive a rod and a fully outfitted tackle box.
The junior anglers will look to land more than 800 rainbow trout from the Sol Duc Hatchery.
“The fish are bigger this year,” Schleusner said.
“It took two truckloads this year to fill up because they are bigger.”
Schleusner said the fish are 12 inches and up. Twenty-five brood stock up to 24 inches also were planted.
Don’t overthink the bait for these trout. They’ll be hungry.
“Powerbait, worms and salmon eggs are the best bet,” Schleusner said.
“Sometimes little spinners work.
“If they have questions, stop by the stage and we will help them get rigged up and set them out there.”
Members of the Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishers also will walk around the ponds to help solve tangles and other fishing maladies.
“We will have fly club members out with a bag of leaders, lines, hooks and a net to help bring in a fish,” Schleusner said.
The junior anglers should bring their own poles.
No fly fishing is allowed. It’s just too crowded and dangerous.
Goldfish crackers and fruit snacks will be served in the cabin near the ponds.
“It’s all about getting kids out there, having fun learning to fish and using more fingers than just their thumbs,” Schleusner said.
“This is where kids catch their first fish.”
The event is possible because of the work of the Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishers, city of Port Angeles, and Kiwanis Club of Port Angeles.
Audubon field trip
Members of the Admiralty Audubon Society will take a bird-watching field trip along the outer reaches of the Larry Scott Trail near Port Townsend on Saturday.
The 3-mile round-trip walk will leave the Milo Curry Trailhead parking lot, off Discovery Road near Four Corners, at 10 a.m.
Spring migratory birds should be passing through on their way to nesting areas.
The group will visit a pond along Discovery Road to view birds stopping over for a respite.
For more information, phone trip leader Paula Vanderheul at 360-379-8564 or email pvanderheul@gmail.com.
Beath to speak twice
Noted angler John Beath will discuss how to fish for halibut at two upcoming meetings of the Puget Sound Anglers.
He will speak at the East Jefferson chapter’s meeting Tuesday at the Port of Port Townsend commissioners officer, 333 Benedict St., in Port Townsend at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Two days later, Beath will focus on halibut fishing in Marine Area 6 (Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca) at the Thursday, April 16, meeting of the Puget Sound Anglers’ North Olympic Peninsula chapter.
The meeting will be held at Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave., in Sequim, at 6:45 p.m.
Beath, expert fisherman, guide and a club member, will share his wealth of knowledge about how, when and where to catch halibut during the short season.
He runs a host of fishing websites, including halibutchronicles.com, halibut.net, salmonchronicles.com and gofishmagazine.com.
The meeting is open to the public.
For more on the Puget Sound Anglers, visit www.psanopc.org.
________
Outdoors columnist Michael Carman appears here Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
