Trout fishing event at Columbia Citys Morsches Park, April 15
Families can learn to fish at Morsches Park in Columbia City on Saturday.
DNR staff will be on site from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the north pond to help first-time anglers. Participants can borrow fishing poles and bait.
The DNR will stock 200 rainbow trout in the pond the day before. No trout fishing will be allowed until Saturday morning.

Children age 17 and younger who register will be eligible for random drawings of free fishing equipment sponsored by the local Walmart and the Jim Moose Kids Fishing Clinic in Kokomo.

Other activities include fly-tying and fly-fishing demonstrations, and instructions on cleaning trout for cooking.

The event is free. No fishing license or trout stamp is required on Saturday because it is one of four Free Fishing Days offered by the DNR each spring.
In previous years, anglers younger than age 18 competed in a fishing derby during the event. The derby is being dropped to focus on first-time anglers who want a more-relaxed setting.

The pond has open access for shore fishing. A fishing pier is also available. A restroom facility will be open, and ample parking is available. The bag limit is five trout per angler.

If we can get families fishing together and having fun, maybe they will want to try it again, said Tyler Delauder, DNR assistant fisheries biologist. There is no easier way to do that than have them come out and try trout fishing in a small pond.

For more information, call (260) 244-6805.