Chico's "Hooked on Fishing" kid's event at Horseshoe Lake is tomorrow!

All area kids age 14 and under are invited to the sixteenth annual "Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs" free children's fishing day, being held tomorrow [Saturday May 31] from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Horseshoe Lake in Upper Bidwell Park [across from the golf course].

Some 10,000 pounds of catfish will be planted [about individual 7,000 fish], with a limit of one fish per child. Admission is free, along with all tackle, bait, fish cleaning and instruction. There will even be a separate are for the littlest anglers age one to five years.

There will be plenty of free loaner rods, but all are encouraged to bring their own. Bring your Grandfather's favorite "secret" catfish bait, but remember that lead sinkers are not allowed in Bidwell Park. Kids age 15 or younger do not need a fishing license.

The HOFNOD label identifies a program originated by the American Sportfishing Association, and the Chico version is believed to be the largest single-day children's fishing event in the entire United States. In 1999, the Chico event received an award of special recognition from the US Congress.

Oroville HOFNOD
Not to be outdone, Oroville will also be holding a large "Hooked on Fishing" free kids' event for ages 14 and under from 7:00 AM until noon tomorrow [Saturday May 31] at Bedrock Park. A free pancake breakfast will be served, and thousands of pounds of catfish and steelhead will be planted in the swimming lagoon. For smaller and physically challenged kids, an easily accessible pool will be stocked with rainbow trout.

Kiwanis will provide the bait and lots of great prizes. Loaner rods and reels are available. Safety demonstrations will be performed by the Kiwanis Fire Safety Education House. Oroville firefighters and fire trucks will be there, along with a California Highway patrol safety officer, Ident-A-Child and Oroville Hospital Paramedics.

Feather River salmon
As legislation that will formally close the salmon season slowly winds its way through the state's Office of Administrative Law, the Feather River still allows salmon fishing for at least the next few weeks. The new regulations will not affect other fish species, and fishing will still be allowed for stripers, sturgeon, shad, trout, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and virtually everything except salmon.

Accordingly, anglers are still scoring some nice catches of salmon on the Feather River this week. "We weighed in five nice salmon on Wednesday morning", observed Chick Rice at Feather River Outfitters in Oroville. "The salmon weighed from 12 to 28 pounds, and were caught on blue/silver #6 Blue Fox Vibrax spinners. There are fish spread out from 100 yards downstream of the shop to the Thermalito Afterbay Outlet'

Rice tipped, "The steelhead fishing has also been phenomenal in the first riffles below the Oro Dam Bridge. Steelhead up to nine pounds are hitting very well on drifted nightcrawlers."

Trout plants
The DFG planted catchable-size trout this week in the following area waters: Butte County- Big Butte Creek; Plumas County- Feather River north fork Almanor, Warner Creek, Tehama County- Battle Creek south-north fork, Deer Creek, Digger Creek; Shasta County- Baum Lake, Brandy Creek, Clear Creek above Whiskeytown, Grace Lake, Hatchet Creek, Iron Canyon Reservoir, Keswick Canal, Lake McCloud, lower-middle-upper Burney Creek, McCumber Reservoir, middle-upper Hat Creek, Montgomery Creek, Mora Lake, North Battle Creek Reservoir, North Cow Creek, Rock Creek below Britton, upper Bailey Creek, Whiskeytown Lake. Send your outdoor news items to Steve Carson via e-mail at [email protected]