[StBernard] St. Bernard Sportsman's League will hold kids fishing rodeo

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Sportsman's League will hold kids fishing rodeo

Print Earl Hodges By Earl Hodges 
on August 14, 2014 at 8:38 AM, updated August 14, 2014 at 8:39 AM

A popular St. Bernard tradition will continue Sept. 6 when the St. Bernard
Sportsman's League holds its annual Kids Fishing Rodeo at the lagoon in
Torres Park in Chalmette.

The rodeo is open to children up to 12 years old. Registration is from 7 to
8 a.m. at the Torres Park pavilion near Patricia Street.  Fishing hours are
8 to 9:30 a.m.  An awards ceremony will follow. McDonald's will provide
hamburgers and drinks for the event.

Only cane poles  are allowed, and the league will provide bait.  The rodeo
is catch and release and all participants are asked to bring a bucket to
keep their fish in until they can be weighed and released.  Members of the
St. Bernard Sportsman's League will be on hand to offer fishing tips and
assistance.  All participants must be accompanied by an adult.

Trophies will be awarded in several categories including perch, bass and
catfish as well as the most fish caught in each age group.  There will be
two age groups, 5 and under and 6 to 12.

"Our goal for the kids fishing rodeo is to get kids and their parents hooked
on fishing," said Joey Englert, president of the St. Bernard Sportsman's
League.  "We hope that  both kids and their parents  will see that fishing
can be a wholesome activity that can be undertaken with little expense and
memories can be made that will last a lifetime."

The kids fishing rodeo is also another way of getting children and their
parents involved in  Louisiana's outdoors, Englert said.

"Louisiana has so much to offer in outdoor sports, and we (St. Bernard
Sportsman's League)  want to encourage young people  to get involved,"
Englert said.

Chris Holmes, chairman of the kids fishing rodeo, agrees. "With all the
distractions these days fewer children  are  participating in the great
outdoors and all it has to offer," Holmes said.  "Last weekend I  was at a
camp, and I was amazed when I noticed three young boys sitting inside on a
sofa playing with electronic games. When I was that age, you would have to
drag me inside to get me away from all the things there are to explore in
the outdoors.  Times have changed."

Holmes said when the St. Bernard Sportsman's League started the kids fishing
rodeo several years ago, its members  saw  this trend developing and hoped
events like the kids fishing rodeo could help reverse it.

"We want kids to discover how much fun the outdoors can be," Holmes said.
  For information about the kids fishing rodeo contact Chris or Vicki Holmes
at 504.373.5371 or Englert at 504.277.6683.

Earl Hodges writes about recreation sports in St. Bernard Parish.  He can be
contacted at earlhodges at msn.com.