Get Hooked on Fishing©
By Rich Johnson
FAMILY FISHING DAY: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in cooperation
with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) and
“The Fishing Line”“ radio and television shows is conducting a Fall Fishing
and Children’s Festival on Saturday, October 21 at Hempstead Lake State Park, DEC
Regional Director Ray Cowen announced today.
Festival activities begin at 10:00 a.m. and include fly-fishing instruction, a bass
fishing seminar, free fish cleaning services, loaner rods and free bait. Additionally, a display area will be set up by the
DEC and local fishing clubs. This is a great family event with something of interest for
every member of the family! Children can try their hand at casting for trout or casting
for pumpkins. With over a thousand visitors expected, this is certainly one of the most
unique and popular fall events on our state parks calendar,” said Joe Lescinski, the
Director of Waterfront Parks on Long Island.
Children's activities will also begin at 10:00 a.m. Children's activities will
include face painting, funny photos (bring your own camera), a magic show, birds of prey
show, hay and pony rides, kids games, and a moon bounce.
“The Fall Fishing and Children's Festival is a great way to enjoy the outdoors
and learn something about the great sport of freshwater fishing,” DEC Regional
Fisheries Manager Chart Guthrie said. “The festival combines the opportunity to fish
with a variety of children's activities to provide a rewarding family experience."
Children can also take part in a pumpkin
casting contest where kids can either catch a pumpkin or “hook” a prize. The contest
will be staffed by a local Boy Scout troop with prizes supplied by “The Fishing
Line” and NYFTTA. “This
festival is a great way to get parents and kids together for a day of family fishing,
Programs like this make people aware of and appreciate the freshwater fishery we have on
Long Island.”
The requirement for a fishing license for anglers 16 and older has been suspended
for this event. Adults (13 and older) will be charged $3 for the event; children 12 and
under will be free. The rain date will be October 22 for the fishing part of the festival.
The festival is the highlight event for the special fall trout stocking program in Nassau
County. South and McDonald ponds in Hempstead
Lake State Park will be stocked by the OPRHP before the event, and Upper Twin Pond, Oyster
Bay Mill Pond, Massapequa Reservoir and Massapequa Creek will all be stocked with trout by
the DEC before November 1. Additional lakes and ponds will be stocked by the DEC prior to
Veteran’s Day.
For more information about the festival, call the DEC Bureau of Fisheries at (631)
444-0280 or the OPRHP at (516) 766-1029. You can also find information on the festival on
the web at www.thefishingline.com. For additional information about the fall trout
stocking program in Nassau County, call the Bureau of Fisheries. Information on other Long
Island fishing programs may be found at: ww.dec.state.ny.us/website/regl/reglbof.
