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There was a lot of fishing activity on the waters of the south and central Upper Peninsula this past weekend. All were mostly set aside for youth and coincided with the annual Free Fishing Weekend provided each year by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (MDNRE).

The M&M Great Lakes Sport Fishermen put on their 25th annual Kids Fishing Derby. The event is held each year at the marina in the City of Menominee. They average 350 kids at the event and attract families from great distances, including some from Wisconsin.

The club is also conducting research on the fisheries in the area. Earlier in the week they planted approximately 2,000 fish (1,500 brown trout and 500 rainbow), all of which were marked and following the kids event, were release to study migration and longevity. It is part of many activities the club has conducted in its 31 years of existence.

The 19^th Annual Kid’s Fishing Day took place in the Hiawatha National Forest on Camp 7 Lake. This year almost 250 youngsters attended the event that featured casting competition and two fish ponds that contained Steelhead and Brown Trout provided by the MDNRE.

In a press release issued by Anne Okanek, Assistant District Ranger from the Hiawatha National Forest, “A number of parents bragged about how many years they had been coming to the event, first as youngsters and now bringing their own children.”

There were 150 raffle prizes issued and each child not receiving a raffle prize was given a “Take A Kid Fishing” tee shirt. All of the kids attending received a drawstring backpack that included a genuine compass, 3 foot tape measure and other “goodies”.

Along with the USFS personnel, there were 41 volunteers who worked the event and helped feed nearly 500 hungry anglers and their parents. Tri-Star EMS and Schoolcraft CARE Search and Rescue was on hand to cover potential fist aid needs. There were also 50 business and civic organizations that donated money, raffle prizes and food for the event. In addition to the Hiawatha National Forest, major sponsors of the event included the Bay deNoc Great Lakes Sport Fishermen (BDN/GLSF), the MDNRE and Wildlife Unlimited (WU) of Delta County.

A new event that took place Saturday on Little Bay deNoc, was the 1^st Annual Adult and Youth Angler (AYA) Tournament.

The AYA program was started in 1998 when Tournament Founder, Andrew Klopak decided he wanted to fish in a competitive style tournament on opening day of season with his son. There were no such events at the time so he started his own and has since found 25 national corporate sponsors.

The main objective is to introduce and educate young anglers on the sport of competitive sport fishing in a fun environment surrounded by family and friends while creating memories that will last a lifetime. Each team consists of one adult angler and two youth anglers, age 17 and under. Each event includes an official weigh-in, prizes and a free barbeque to follow a hard days fishing. The winner of each regional event qualifies for the opportunity to participate in the International Championship. This year will mark 30 regional events throughout Canada and the United States.

I should also mention that here as in all the other events, all rules of safety are followed to the letter, including those for use of watercraft with passengers.

The local AYA was held at the North Shore Boat Launch Park in Wells with 18 teams representing a total of 54 anglers. Teams headed out from the mouth of the Escanaba River with weigh-in at 4 p.m.

Prize money was paid out to the top five teams with big fish, the largest of which was brought in by Shawn Porath and nephew Austin and his friend Cody. They landed a carp that had a net weight of 20.35 pounds. Other big fish included salmon, sheepshead and walleye.

The top team for total fish was headed up by Jim McNeil of Escanaba and his son Jim, and his friend Chad Leisenring. Together they caught 3 salmon that had a net weight of 42.872 pounds, the largest of which weighed 15.5 pounds. McNeil said they had hooked a total of 11 fish for the day and landed 3.

Their prizes included an AYA Plaque, large trophy and a new Lund Boat & Trailer and Mercury Outboard Motor. They also received a $500 certificate for sponsorship to the AYA International Championship on August 14, 2010 at Lake of the Woods, Ontario, Canada.

The second place team headed again by Shawn Porath with a total net weight of 35.525 pounds, won a Motorguide Digital Trolling Motor and a trophy. All teams received a bag of various fishing related products.

Members of the BDN/GLSF were assisted by area Boy Scouts in handling fish and park clean-up after the event. Local sponsors of the AYA included Strom & Strom Attorneys at Law, Rapid River Knife Works, the Island Resort and Casino, Moonshine Lures, Riverside Auto, Elmer’s County Market, Walleye’s Choice Lures, Northern Motors and the Porath Dairy Farm.

In all the weekend of Michigan’s Free Fishing saw programs that involved well over 600 anglers, most of whom were youth, and over a thousand people overall in celebrating our heritage and creating memories that will be certain to last a lifetime.