Hey, kids! Let’s go fishing!

For immediate release: September 15, 2015
Contact: Greg Workman, 352-732-1225

Photos available on FWC Flickr site: Go to https://flic.kr/s/aHsk4GCGUS

Suggested Tweet: Free Kids’ Fishing Derby with @MyFWC set for Oct. 3 in Ocala area: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/bulletins/119e457 #Fishing

Hey, kids! Let’s go fishing!

It’s time for the annual Lake Eaton Kids’ Fishing Derby at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Ocala Conservation Center and Youth Camp in the Ocala National Forest. The derby is Saturday, Oct. 3, from 9 a.m. until noon for children ages 6-12.

Advance registration is required, and space is limited to the first 100 children. To sign up, call the FWC’s Ocala office at 352-732-1225 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., weekdays. The Ocala Conservation Center is 8.5 miles north of State Road 40 off County Road 314 in the Ocala National Forest.

Everything the kids need to fish, including cane poles, bait and instruction, will be provided by the FWC and its partners. The kids will fish from a pier. For safety reasons and to avoid tangled lines, please leave your rod and reel home.

In addition to fishing, there will be a casting contest, an arts and crafts activity and an all-time favorite called “Bugs and Critters.” In this activity, the kids get to wade into the lake with dip nets and scoop up fish, bugs and other aquatic critters. An FWC biologist uses the experience to teach kids about the aquatic ecosystem. The kids will get wet, so they should bring a change of clothes, including old shoes.

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GW/NERO WBD