Here is Sportsman’s Paradise, you often hear a lot about our big, marquee water bodies that are widely known and heavily utilized by anglers, but don’t let small, urban lakes fall under your radar.
Sidney Torres Memorial Park in Chalmette is one of those locations, and Saturday, January 16 is a great day to take advantage of this great fishing spot and also marks our next installment of our Get Out and Fish! events.
By the time anglers, young and old alike, hit the water on Saturday morning roughly 600 pounds of rainbow trout will be ready for the taking, or should we say catching. Donated by Greers Ferry National Fish Hatchery, the Department will stock the fish prior to the event. Originally scheduled for mid-December, the event was postponed due to unseasonably warm water- this species requires cooler water temperatures for survival.
We’ll also offer free fishing activities for all ages including a mobile touch tank, an inflatable casting apparatus and more.
Categories include heaviest rainbow trout and heaviest “other” fish. Little Angler (ages 8 and under), Junior Angler (ages 9-15) and Adult Angler (ages 16 and older) comprise the divisions. Anglers 16 and older must possess a valid Louisiana fishing license.
The first 100 pre-registered participants will receive a free goody bag, and every participant will be entered into a raffle drawing to win prizes. Lunch will be provided by the St. Bernard Parish Fire Department.
Sponsors for the event include Hook and Line Sporting Goods, Studio Inferno, St. Bernard Sportsman’s League, St. Bernard-Arabi Kiwanis, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, St. Bernard Fire Department and the Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana.
The event was originally scheduled for Dec. 12, 2015, but was postponed due to unseasonably warm water.
The Get Out and Fish! program seeks to increase the number of people with access to quality fishing while recruiting new anglers and promoting outdoor activities for future generations. January 16 marks the program’s third event . Similar fish stockings and events were previously held in Girard Park in Lafayette and Zemurray Park in Hammond. LDWF selects locations with a public waterbody between two and five acres, open to the public and sustainable for adult fish.
For more information on this event or the program, contact LDWF Outreach Manager Danica Williams at (504) 628-7282 or [email protected].
