14th annual Kids Fishing Day draws nearly 500 youth

Submitted photo/ Jesse Trytsman, 9, from Walker, takes a shot at the target during Kids Fishing Day at the Lost Valley Hatchery.

Nevada Daily Mail

"It looks like Bennett Spring on opening day," said Fred Harper, Warsaw, as he looked over the one-half acre pond at the Lost Valley Fish Hatchery.

The 14th annual Kids Fishing Day at the hatchery drew 476 youngsters along with parents, grandparents and other friends and relatives crowded around the pond.

Children ages 15 and under cast their lines into the well-stocked pond when the horn sounded to start the fishing. It wasn't long before big channel catfish and perch were pulled from the crowded fishing hole. 70 of the youngsters caught their first fish ever.

The kids fished from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and caught and released 283 fish and kept 250 channel catfish and 11 hybrid sunfish.

Lesly Conaway, visitor center manager, said, "It turned out to be a very good day in spite of the threatening weather.

"The fish were hitting and the kids had fun. It takes a lot of help to make it work. We had 30 non-MDC volunteers plus 36 MDC personnel on hand to help make the event a big success. It was the largest kids fishing day we have held."

Besides fishing, the youngsters could shoot archery targets, get face painting, have photos taken with their catch, practice casting, eat lunch and tour the visitor center where they learned the hatchery is the largest state-owned, warm-water hatchery in the state ---- as well as one of the largest in the nation.

They could see the 12,500 gallon aquarium where walleye, channel catfish, largemouth bass, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, muskie and both striped and hybrid bass are grown. The hatchery furnishes fish to areas all across the state.

The hatchery and visitor center is located on nearly a thousand acres east of U.S. 65 northeast of Warsaw and the Truman Lake Dam. The Visitor Center is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, year-around.

Barbara and George Roberts, Des Moines, Iowa, were visiting friends in Warsaw and drove over to see the hatchery. Roberts said, "We didn't know that it was kids fishing day, but we were glad we stopped. The kids were having a ball and we enjoyed watching them catch fish. Next year we are planning on bringing our three grandkids to participate in that fun event."

The next Kids Fishing Day event, sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation and Department of Natural Resources among other sponsors, will be held today at Bennett Spring. The young anglers will have a chance to catch trout and learn about trout fishing.

Kids age 15 and under, can get free trout tags, Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. or at the registration tent across from the park store on Saturday.

For more information on the event, call the hatchery at 417-532-4417 or email hatchery manager Mike Mitchell at Michael Mitchell@mdc.gov.

On Saturday, May 16, a Kids Fishing Day will be held at Roaring River State Park. Seminars will be held on fish cleaning, cooking fish, knife sharping, knot tying, fly tying and fly casting, how to fish Roaring River, stream biology and other subjects.

A program on Missouri snakes will be given with live specimens. A tour of the hatchery will be held to show how trout are raised.

Fishing will start at 6:30 a.m. and run until 8:15 p.m., rain or shine.

For more information on the event, call the hatchery at 417-847-2430 or email paulspurgeon@ mdc.mo.gov.