Get Out and Fish! Event at Sidney D.Torres Memorial Park is a Success
The Get Out and Fish! event at Sidney D. Torres Memorial Park in Chalmette last Saturday attracted over 500 participants! Anglers arrived ready to fish for their chance to catch department-stocked rainbow trout donated by Greer’s National Fish Hatchery.
LDWF and St. Bernard Parish will continue stocking Sidney D. Torres Memorial Park with two more stockings of adult-sized channel catfish in the months to come.
"I was amazed at the number of people that came out to the event,” explained Fisheries Extension Program Manager, Danica Williams. “Everyone seemed very appreciative of the Get Out & Fish! event that provided family and friends an opportunity to fish close to their homes.”
This free event hosted by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, St. Bernard Parish and the St. Bernard Sportsman's League offered fun fishing activities for all ages including a mobile touch tank, casting inflatable and more. The first 200 pre-registered participants received a variety of gifts from our sponsors. Additionally, every participant was entered into a raffle drawing and an array of prizes were given away to the attendees. The St. Bernard Parish Fire Department provided lunch for all attendees.
Fishing competition categories included heaviest rainbow trout and heaviest “other” fish. Age divisions included Little Angler (ages 8 and under), Junior Angler (ages 9-15) and Adult Angler (ages 16 and older). Results are below.
Rainbow Trout:
Little Angler
1st Nicholas Jovanovich
Junior Angler
1st Mason Dakin
Adult Angler
1st Robert Heaton
Other Species:
Little Angler
1st Catherine Hamby
2nd David Roy
3rd Wyatt Oser
Junior Angler
1st John Nazareth
2nd Eva Walls
3rd Sawyer Metz
Adult Angler
1st Michael Phan
2nd Stephanie Majesty
3rd John Nguyen
The Get Out and Fish! program seeks to increase the number of people with access to quality fishing. The program intends to recruit new anglers to the sport of fishing and promote outdoor activities to our future generation of anglers.
Saturday’s sponsors included Hook and Line Sporting Goods, Studio Inferno, St. Bernard Sportsman’s League, St. Bernard-Arabi Kiwanis, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, St. Bernard Fire Department, Today’s Ketch Seafood, Chalmette Cinema, LSU AgCenter, Knights of Nemesis and the Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana.
For event information, contact Danica Williams at dwilliams@wlf.la.gov or (504) 628-7282.
This event is hosted in conjunction with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation (LWFF). The LWFF was formed to provide a means for individuals and corporations to become partners with the Department and Commission in the challenge of conserving Louisiana’s wildlife and fish resources.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana’s abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.la.gov or www.FishLA.org.