Hooked on Kids fishing derby at Bridgeport June 10

BRIDGEPORT – Hooked on Kids, the annual fishing derby for young anglers from ages five to 14 years, is coming to the cove at the Bridgeport Marina Park at 9 a.m., Saturday, June 10. Youngsters can pre-register at the Bridgeport schools or just show up an hour early at the marina on derby day to sign up.
Mayor Janet Conklin said this year’s derby will again feature 400 trout provided by the Washington Department of fish and Wildlife (WDFW), and 25 of those fish will be tagged for special prizes.
Cabela’s, billed as the “World’s Foremost Outfitter” will once again provide prizes including gift certificates.
The trout are released in the lagoon at the east end of the marina where the narrow inlet channel is temporarily blocked to prevent escapement.
The derby entry fee is $3 and a parent or guardian must sign a waiver to allow a child to participate. The derby is limited to 250 entrants and all children under the age of 10 years must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, the official rules state.
There are no catch-and-release requirements and a participant can keep up to 10 trout.
Conklin said a prize drawing will be held at 4 p.m. and winners must be present to claim their prizes.
Hooked on Kids coincides with WDFW’s Free Fishing Weekend so any anglers inclined to take advantage of that opportunity can wet their lines after the derby concludes.
Hooked on Kids was originally the brainchild of former Bridgeport resident and council member, Neil Jacobson. Jacobson even held a competition for Bridgeport school students to come up with a design for the derby logo.
The winning design, showing a large trout holding a bent fishing rod that is hooked onto the collar of a dangling youngster, remains the official logo.