Kids’ Fishing Day arrives on June 6 at Homesteader Park

Posted 5/28/20

Looking forward to Powell’s upcoming Kids’ Fishing Day? It might be wise to check your line before you go: There are some whoppers waiting in the Homesteader Park fishing pond.

Eyes …

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Kids’ Fishing Day arrives on June 6 at Homesteader Park

Posted

Looking forward to Powell’s upcoming Kids’ Fishing Day? It might be wise to check your line before you go: There are some whoppers waiting in the Homesteader Park fishing pond.

Eyes were poppin’ as Shane Allen, from the Cody Wyoming Trout Ranch, stocked the cement pond with some jumbo brook and rainbow trout. In past years, a 12-inch trout might be a prize winner; this year, that’ll be at least a half-foot short of the catch of the day.

Now is the time to get on the list for the Saturday, June 6 event. Health officials required rule changes due to pandemic precautions, said Powell Recreation District Director Colby Stenerson.

“We’re only taking 25 kids per hour,” he said, and “each kid can only bring one adult with them. Other people can come, they just have to watch from outside the fence.”

There will be additional social distancing regulations and participants need to get on the list in person to sign waivers. The waivers are also available at www.powellrec.com.

Fishing starts at 6 a.m. and each group will have one hour to catch their limit (of four fish per child). All Wyoming Game and Fish Department rules apply, but it’s free fishing day in the state, so there’s no need to buy licenses for the event. Children 16 and under are welcome.

One fish — a fat brook trout — was tagged near the dorsal fin before being released. It’s worth $50 if caught during the kids’ portion of the day.

There will be lots of prizes. Wyoming Outdoorsmen donated so many fishing poles, tackle boxes and other fun merchandise in the past few years that the prize table will be well-stocked, Stenerson said. Then, after the kids get done fishing, the gate will remain open for anyone who wants to try to land one of the giants. Open fishing will start after noon, Stenerson said, and the pond will stay open until dark.

Cody Wyoming Trout Ranch stocked the pond with more than 500 trout last week. Later this summer, Game and Fish has been contracted to stock it with another 600 keepers. Starting June 7, City of Powell Park Superintendent Tim Miller hopes folks will buy a license and help empty the pond of fish before it’s drained in the fall.

“There’s always some left at the end of the year and we can’t move them anywhere,” Miller said.

The Powell Recreation District’s office is located at 503 Homesteader Court. Sign-ups for Kids’ Fishing Day are offered during regular business hours.

The Kids’ Fishing Day in Cody, sponsored in the past by Trout Unlimited, The Optimist Club and Wyoming Game and Fish Department, has been canceled this year due to the pandemic.

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