On Saturday, July 12, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries provided youth anglers and families a fun day of surf and shoreline fishing on Elmer’s Island with Family Fish Fest. The event was a great success with approximately 200 participants, and the winners took home several exciting prizes courtesy of Pure Fishing, CCA Louisiana, Contender Sports, Renovations Hardware and the New Orleans Zephyrs.
In addition to fishing, participants took part in numerous educational exhibits including a mobile touch tank, fish identification, knot tying lessons, cast net lessons, minnow races, casting tutorials, and arts and crafts. LDWF mascot Robbie the Redfish stopped by to meet anglers and pose for pictures with families.
Winners of Family Fish Fest were Little Angler Speckled Trout first place, Trent LaBauve. Little Angler Catch-n-Count first place, Ella Rivere; second place, Adrian Perez; third place, Ayden Gautreaux. Junior Angler Redfish first place, Brody Berthelot. Junior Angler Speckled Trout first place, Sadie McDonald; second place, Seth Ponson; third place, Brandon Neames. Junior Angler Catch-n-Count first place, Brayden Bellanger; second place, Michael Brehm Jr.; third place, Jolie Pruyn and Kamy Pruyn.
Several items from sponsors were raffled off to participants, adults that accompanied youth to the event, and anglers that brought in live redfish or speckled trout to be tagged and released in conjunction with the Louisiana Cooperative Marine Fish Tagging program.
Sponsors for Saturday’s Family Fish Fest included Pure Fishing, CCA Louisiana, Marsh and Bayou Outfitters, Dufrene Building Materials, Emprint Moran Printing, Faux Pas Printing, Coon Neck Wildlife and Art Gallery, Whole Foods, Coca-Cola Baton Rouge, New Orleans Zephyrs, Krispy Kreme, Grand Isle Community Development Team, Friends of Grand Isle, Frank’s Supermarket, Home Depot, Renovations Hardware and Contender Sports.
The next LDWF Family Fish Fest is scheduled for September 27th from 9am to 12 pm and is part of LDWF’s National Hunting and Fishing Day at Waddill Outdoor Educational Center in Baton Rouge. Entry for the event is free and lunch will be provided on site. The first 50 youth registrants will receive a complimentary rod and reel, courtesy of Pure Fishing, and the first 100 youth registrants will receive a fishing goodie bag. Youth can compete for prizes in many different categories.
The LDWF Family Fish Fest is hosted in conjunction with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation. 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 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, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ldwffb or follow us on Twitter @LDWF.
For more information on Family Fish Fests, contact Danica Williams at dwilliams@wlf.la.gov or (504) 628-7282. For press inquiries, contact Ashley Wethey at awethey@wlf.la.gov or (225) 721-0489.
Photo 1 caption: Brandon Neames, 12, watches as his live fish is weighed in. Neames placed third in the Junior Angler Speckled Trout division
Photo 2 caption: Brayden Bellanger, 12, placed first in the Junior Angler Catch-n-Count category for 36 legal sized fish on Elmer’s Island
Photo 3 caption: Ella Rivere,6, placed first in the Little Angler Catch-n-Count category for 17 legal sized fish on Elmer’s Island