Bridgeport Chamber hosts Hooked on Kids Fishing Derby

BRIDGEPORT – The annual Hooked on Kids Fishing Derby hosted by the Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce for youngsters aged 4-14 will be held at Marina Park Lagoon on Saturday, June 8.

Participants can pre-register at city hall until Thursday, June 7, or just sign-up at 8 a.m. on the morning of the derby. There is a $3 entry fee per child and a 10-fish catch limit with no catch-and-release requirements. Anglers must provide their own fishing gear and children under 10 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will once again provide 400 trout with 25 of those tagged as special prize fish. North 40 Outfitters is chipping in with some store merchandise and volunteers to help the young anglers with tackle and other chores, Bridgeport mayor Janet Conklin said. Prizes for tagged trout caught will be awarded at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon and winners must be present.

The narrow entrance of Marina Park Lagoon at the east end of the RV park is temporarily blocked to keep the planted trout from escaping

Hooked on Kids coincides with WDFW’s Free Fishing Weekend so any anglers inclined to take advantage of that opportunity can wet their lines for leftover trout after the derby concludes.

Hooked on Kids was originally the inspiration 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.