Sarah Somers
Echo Canyon State Park ranger Ben Johnson gives away prizes to young anglers at the 22nd annual Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs Kids Fishing Event Saturday.
Echo Canyon State Park’s 22nd annual Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs Kids Fishing Event was held Saturday.
Despite the high winds throughout the day, many anglers showed up anyway to have some fun at the lake. The event is held to get kids into the outdoors and for everyone to get familiar with Nevada State Parks. Tagged fish were released into the reservoir, two of which were worth $5,000 and $10,000 in scholarship money. Aside from the tagged fish, the event boasted many other prizes that were raffled and used for prizes in the fishing derby for largest fish.
This year, 200 young anglers stuck through the wind in an attempt to catch one of the tagged fish, or the biggest fish. Alongside the kids were many adult anglers as well. The park served lunch and kicked off a raffle and prizes at noon where attendees walked away with gift cards, concert tickets, kayaks, bikes, tents and even a mini-motorized bike.
Every kid was sent home with a free fishing pole. Even though the high wind forecast kept some people away, the day ended very well and everyone had a blast. Ben Johnson, park ranger and main man behind the scenes, wanted to thank all of the volunteers and sponsors who helped to make the event successful. He also thanked everyone for the continued support of keeping kids Hooked on Fishing not on Drugs. His special thanks went to: Gary/Mike Reese, A&B Service, Tillies, Overland Hotel and Casino, PENTA, Seventh Judicial District Court, Brad Garrett, LV Fly Club, Duck Creek Outfitters, Skip and Barb Dorsett, Nye Communities Coalition, Caliente Youth Center Crew, Kenny Trent, Nevada Bank and Trust, Justin and Micky Vanhulle, Brian O’Callahan, NDF, Chris Trent, Jeremy Bentz (NSU) and Meadow Gold Dairy.
