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Gone fishing: Record number of fish will be available at Trout Derby
By Brandi Hart, McKinney Courier-Gazette
Get ready to cast your lures and wait for a rainbow trout to take the bait.
Fishing enthusiasts of all ages will gather on Saturday at the eastern side of Towne Lake for McKinney’s seventh annual Towne Lake Trout Derby.
The city of McKinney’s parks and recreation department is host of the event, which will take place from 8 a.m. to noon near the east pavilion of Towne Lake, 1405 Wilson Creek Parkway, just south of McKinney High School.
Prizes will be awarded for the longest cast, the heaviest stringer and the biggest and smallest fish. The winners will receive a picture of themselves on the plaque for each category. A fly-tying demonstration and casting clinic also will be provided. Because the city received donations from the Texas Department Parks and Wildlife and a business sponsor, every child that catches a fish in the derby will receive a prize, Lung said.
An area will be set up that will have trout for children ages 5 and younger to look at, touch and fish for.
Children ages 16 and younger will be able to receive one of 300 fishing poles. Youngsters will also be given bags filled with bobbers that will have the city’s logo on them, coupons for a free ice cream cone and/or breakfast burrito, boxes of crayons that were purchased by the parks and recreation department, and other items, Lung said.
Children ages 16 and younger may participate in the derby for free, and adults ages 17 and older will be charged $3 to participate. All participants must provide their own fishing pole and bait, and adults must have a freshwater fishing license.
A total of 3,145 rainbow trout, 600 more trout than have ever been included in any of the last seven trout derbies, will be released on Friday morning into the east side of the lake. The trout will be enclosed; netting is being placed in the lake to ensure the trout do not swim to the main part of the lake, Lung said. After the derby, the fish will remain in the east side of Towne Lake for about two weeks. The remaining trout that are not caught will be released in the main section of Towne Lake, Lung said.
The city’s parks and recreation department paid for 2,000 trout from a fish hatchery in Athens, which is southeast of Dallas, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department paid for 1,145 trout for people to try and catch during the derby.
Parks and recreation department staff will be on “fish patrol” during the day and evening on Friday until more parks and recreation employees arrive early Saturday morning to begin setting up for the derby, said Trish Yanes, the supervisor of the McKinney Community Center. The staff help guard the fish to ensure that people do not fish in the area of the lake that will be used for the derby and will also try and scare away cranes, gulls and other birds that have tried to take the trout from the lake in previous years, Yanes said.
Texas Parks and Wildlife employees will offer a free angler, or fishing education class from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the parks and recreation department’s main office at 1550 D College Street, between Wilson Creek Parkway and Eldorado Parkway. The class will consist of basic skills, such as assembling tackle, identifying fish, understanding fishing regulations and safety, and describing good fish habitat.
Discussions will include types of fishing, rods, reels, knots, bait, lures, fresh water fish and aquatic habitat, and tips to improve fishing skills for a fun, exciting, and successful fishing trip.
If anyone has any questions about the derby, they may call Lung at 972-547-2686 or visit www.mckinneytexas.org.
Contact staff writer Brandi Hart at hartb@acnpapers.com. To post comments online, access this story at www.scntx.com.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
Nelson wrote on Feb 21, 2008 8:57 AM:
" Out of curiosity, Towne Lake isn't the ideal habitat for rainbow trout, so what happens after the Derby. I assume they just die off??? "
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