It's Official! Youth Fishing Rodeo Kicks Off

Calling all future anglers! The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is offering children—ages 3 to 15—the opportunity to bait, cast and catch their own fish through our Youth Fishing Rodeo Program.

Designed to introduce young children to the joys of recreational fishing, participants—with or without previous experience—are mentored by experienced  volunteers and department staff to create a safe, educational and fun environment.

“Through this program children learn how to become better anglers and also taught to respect our parks, ponds, lakes and rivers,” Youth Fishing Rodeo Program Coordinator Michael Anderson said. “The Youth Fishing Rodeo has been a Maryland tradition for more 60 years, and we hope to continue nurturing the next generation of anglers and stewards.”

The Youth Fishing Rodeo Program has over 40 rodeos scheduled between April and October; these events draw nearly 3,000 youth anglers statewide. The complete calendar is available here.

Fishing and Boating Services staff stock trout or hybrid sunfish for each rodeo event, assuring that youth fisherman have a good chance of catching that first fish. 

Youth Fishing Rodeos are free of charge but participants are urged to register early as some rodeo events fill-up quickly.

Let's Get Hooked on Fishing!

Garden worms are a simple and effective bait, and they are free if you dig them in your own yard or garden! Many tackle shops sell worms such as the larger "nightcrawlers" and smaller "red wigglers." However, you can dig them for free by looking in your yard or garden. Simply use a shovel or pitchfork and dig anywhere from 6 inches to 2 feet down in the ground and look for the worms movements. Put the worms in a small plastic container with some loose damp dirt and you are good to go! Remember not to drown the worms with excess water; just slightly moist topsoil is good. Keep them in a cool dark place, not exposed to intense sunlight or heat.

Worms are an effective bait for panfish (bluegills/sunfish), bass, trout and perch. They should be fished on a small eagle claw hook ranging in size from #2 - #8 depending on the size of fish targeted. (Use the smallest hooks for small trout and panfish). When fishing in a pond, they can be fished under a bobber, weightless, or with a simple bottom rig or split shot to give it some weight. When fishing in a stream with moderate to fast currents, you will probably have to use splitshots for weight to keep the worm bait near the bottom of the stream. When using larger "nightcrawlers" use a half a worm or a smaller quarter piece of the worm. Small worms can be used whole. 

You never know what you will catch when using worms. Mr. George Venker just recently caught the new non-tidal state record white perch in Loch Raven Reservoir while fishing a simple bottom rig off the bank with half a nightcrawler! The huge perch was just under 15 inches long and it weighed 1.9 pounds! Check out it out!