Get Hooked on Fishing - Not Drugs
Orchard Lake, Orchard Lake Michigan
Saturday, June 12, 2004, from 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Entertainment Starts 7:00p.m. to Midnight
Kids Fishing Day is free for children 16 and younger. TJ's idea was different, he set this Fishing Day up for the children without parents or those who are from a single parent family.
Children 16 and under were invited to fish for free in a special reserved area of the park which is from the hatchery to the bridge across from the amphitheater. This area was stocked extra heavy the night before and several times during the day with up to 5,000 Bluegill, 7,000 Trout and 10,000 Bass. Fishing was good all day long. Volunteers were on hand to help kids learn to fish for trout and bass. Parents were welcome to help kids fish but only one pole may be used between the helper and the child and the youngster must be involved in reeling the fish in. Kids were encouraged to bring their own rods and reels but some lender poles were available. Thanks to Zebco.
Volunteers were welcome. We needed help with all kinds of jobs from helping kids one on one to helping serve hotdogs, pizza, subs, and drinks. Each volunteer was given a free “Hooked on Fishing” hat. The hats made thing easier for everyone. Mainly to find staff members.
Kids needed to pick up a free daily tag at the hatchery the day before or anytime on Kids Day at the information tent. There was also a lot of free things for the kids to pick up along with their tag. Wal-Mart, Fuji Film, the Department of Conservation, and other sponsors gave away a goodie bag with stringers, tattoos, tee shirts, coloring books, bubble gum and other items. Hooked on Fishing International was a helping sponsor of the event as well as numerous local businesses and individuals in the area.
We had plenty of parking available with parking directors and a shuttle service from more distant parking. Also service to and from the beach.
There were free hot-dogs, pizza, subs, salads, coffee, tea, Kool Aide, bottled water, and ice cream from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The Michigan Department of Conservation’s Show-Me Aquarium (shown at the top of page) set up June 10,2004 at Orchard Lake Park. The Aquarium is over 3,000 gallons and has as many as 30 different species of Michigan's fish on display. Trout and Bass fishing demonstrations were also held several times during the day at the aquarium.
Fishing and outdoor related classes were held between 9:00 am and 4:30 p.m. Some of the classes were “How to Fish Orchard Lake”, “Fly Tying”, “ Jig Making”, “Fly Casting”, “Knife Sharpening”, “Fish Cleaning”, “Fish Cooking”, “Entomology”, “Critter Stamp Head Bands”, “Fish Print Making”, and others. Classes were open to families as well as kids. If kids go to two classes they will be put on a list for a free tag on their next visit to Orchard Lake and if they went to three classes they were given the chance to choose from an assortment of prizes such as tee - shirts, candy, fishing equipment and other items and they were placed in a drawing for some larger prizes. Kids who attended a fly casting class were entered into a drawing for a complete fly fishing outfit donated by Charlie Stock of Mid-West Flies.
A casting contest was held during the day sponsored by Zebco. Every child who participated recieved a prize, while children who are able to cast into a certain target recieved a larger prize. Casting contest kids were also entered into a drawing for bicycles. The first 150 kids who catch a fish over 1.5 lbs will get a Fuji Quick Snap camera. The boy and girl with the largest stringer will get a Fuji gift bag and a camera. While the boy and girl with the largest fish of the day recived a gift bag, and a $100 savings bond. All drawing prizes were given away at 5:30 p.m. and children had to be present to win.
The Outdoor Life Channel was on hand to film for a segment of “Wal-Mart Great Outdoors” that will be aired in late August.
Kid’s Fishing Day Outdoor Conservation Classes
June 12, 2004
9:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. Michigan Dept of Conservation Show Me Mobile Aquarium. (shown above) Instructor: James Finley.
The aquarium is 40 foot long and contains 3200 gallons of water. It is utilized for fishing demonstrations, aquatic education seminars, and provides onlookers the opportunity to learn about Michigan’s fascinating aquatic life. Various classes were held through out the day.
9:00 a.m. Fly Casting. Instructor: Chad Van Pelt and Chris Hockey
Class will be taught at the first hole downstream from the bridge across from the OLA Lodge. Chad and Chris work at Orchard Lakes OLA Lodge and teach fly fishing classes throughout the season. Learn the basic casting techniques. Students who attended this class were eligible to enter a drawing for a complete fly fishing outfit.
9:30 a.m. Aquatic Entomology. Instructor: Rick Horton
Rick works for the Michigan Department of Conservation and will help students identify what types of insects live in the stream and how they relate to fish as food organisms and what flies are tied to imitate them. This class was taught under the blue tent.
10:00 a.m. Snakes Alive. Instructor: Tim Smith
Class were held at the parks amphitheater just south of the OLA Lodge. Tim is one of the Park Naturalists. His program will teach kids about the natural history of snakes. Live specimens will be available.
10:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. Fly Tying and Fly Casting. Instructors: Michigan's MAKO Fly Fishing Club. Fly tying will be conducted under the big tent, while fly casting will be in the hole downstream from the bridge across from the OLA Lodge. Experienced fly tiers will set up a table to tie flies and work with kids one on one to help them tie their own fly. Other members will be on hand to work with kids one on one to teach fly casting. Students who attend the fly casting part of this class will be eligible to enter a drawing for a complete fly fishing outfit.
110:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Critter Stamp Headbands. Instructor: Lynn Spurgeon
Critter stamps will be available for children to make and decorate their own headband. The class was held under the large tent.
10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Make Your Own Fish Print. Instructor: Rebecca Bishop
Rebecca will instruct kids on making a fish print. Use a real trout or one of our replicas as a stamp for creating a print on paper. Classes were held approximately every 15 minutes between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. The class was held under the small tent near the stone hatchery building.
10:30 a.m. Creatures of the Deep. Instructor: Bob Schulz
Bob works for the Michigan Department of Conservation as a Fishery Biologist in Jackson City. His class and display will cover information about live creatures in the stream, how to catch them, and what they can tell us about the dangers that lie deep within Orchard Lake. The class was held under the blue tent.
10:30 a.m. Knife Sharpening. Instructor: J.D. Browning
Class was held at the green area next to the hatchery office. J.D. is a long time fisherman at Orchard Lake. A good sharp knife is a good thing to have in so many outdoor activities. J.D. will show kids the right way to sharpen a knife.
11:00 a.m. Fish Cleaning. Instructor: Gary Shoemaker
Class were held near the hatchery office. Gary works for the Department of Conservation at Chesapeake Hatchery. He offered a hands on demonstration on preparing trout, bluegill, catfish and suckers for cooking.
11:30 a.m. Outdoor Fish Cooking with Dutch Ovens. Instructor: Steve Bias
Class were held next to the stone hatchery building. Steve is an excellent cook, and demonstrated cooking techniques on Trout, Bluegill, Catfish, and Suckers utilizing Dutch Ovens. Dutch Ovens lend themselves well to outdoor cooking. The class participants were given a chance to sample the various types of cooked fish.
12:00 a.m.(Noon)-3:00 p.m. Stream Table Display Instructor: Ben Havens
Ben works for the Department of Conservation at Orchard Lake Hatchery and conducted an ongoing display to illustrate the hydraulics of a stream. The effects of an action such a channelizing or digging in a stream was shown. Bank stabilization methods was also demonstrated.
The class was held under the blue tent.
12:30 p.m. Fish Cooking. Instructor: Chris McCullough
Class were held next to hatchery office. Chris is an excellent cook and demonstrated various recipes (such as blackened, deep fried and grilled) for cooking Trout, Bluegill, and Catfish. The class participants were given a chance to sample the various types of cooked fish.
12:30 p.m. Jig Tying. Instructor: Jerry Dudley
Class were held under the big tent. Jerry is a very good fisherman and experienced jig maker. Kids had hands on experience and learned to tie their own jig. Jerry had a drawing for some fishing equipment as a prize for kids who attend his class.
1:00 p.m. Boating Safety. Instructors: Robert McCullough & TJ Flaton,
Robert and TJ are both successful Bass Tournament Fishermen and have spent many hours on the lakes. They demonstrated the importance of safety gear and safe operating procedures in boating. The class was held on the hatchery parking lot where the bass fishing boats were parked. Robert and TJ will also talk about lures, fish scents and lines, they also gave free samples of bass lures to class participants.
1:30 p.m. Outdoor Fish Cooking with Dutch Ovens. Instructor: Steve Bias
Class were held next to the stone hatchery building. Steve is an excellent cook, and demonstrated cooking techniques on Trout, Bluegill, Catfish, and Suckers utilizing Dutch Ovens. Dutch Ovens lend themselves well to outdoor cooking.
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Fly Tying. Instructor: Charlie Stock
Class were held under the big tent. Charlie is a professional fly tier an also owns Mid-West Flies. Charlie worked with kids one on one to help them tie their own fly.
2:00 p.m. Hatchery Tour. Instructor: Tim Smith
Tour will meet on the walkway leading to the Spring. Tim is a naturalist at Orchard Lake Park. His program will teach kids about the geology of Michigan's 20th largest spring, and Lake, the history of Orchard Lake Park and hatchery, the life cycle of the trout and bass, how they are raised and stocked in the stream and lake.
2:30 p.m. Knife Sharpening. Instructor: J.D. Browning
Class will be held at the green area next to the hatchery office. J.D. is a long time fisherman at Orchard Lake. A good sharp knife is a good thing to have in so many outdoor activities. J.D. will show kids the right way to sharpen a knife.
3:00 p.m. Fish Cleaning. Instructor: Gary Shoemaker
Class will be held near the hatchery office. Gary works for the Department of Conservation at Chesapeake Hatchery. He will have a hands on demonstration on preparing trout, catfish, suckers, and bluegill for cooking.
3:30 p.m. Fish Cooking. Instructor: Chris McCullough
Class will be held next to hatchery office. Chris is an excellent cook and will demonstrate various recipes for cooking trout, bluegill, and catfish. Some of the recipes include blackened, deep fried and grilled fish. The class participants will get to sample the various types of cooked fish.
3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Fly Casting. Instructor: Charlie Stock
The class was taught at the first hole downstream from the bridge across from the OLA Lodge. Charlie owns Mid-West Flies. He will teach the basic casting techniques. The hole directly downstream from the bridge across from the lodge will be reserved for fly casting classes. Students who attend this class will be eligible to enter a drawing for a complete fly fishing outfit.
3:30-4:30 p.m. Guided Apple Island Kitchen Hike. Instructor: Brad Russell
Class will meet at the large tent. Brad works for the Dept. of Conservation and will lead a hike on the nearby Apple Island Kitchen Trail. Geological features will be pointed out, as well as flora and fauna.
4:00 p.m. Boating Safety Instructors: TJ Flaton /Robert McCullough,
TJ & Robert are successful Bass Tournament Fishermen and have spent many hours on the lakes. They will demonstrate the importance of safety gear and safe operating procedures in boating. TJ & Robert will also talk about lures, fish scents and lines, they will have free bass lures to hand out to class participants. The class will be held on the hatchery parking lot where the bass fishing boat is parked.
4:00 p.m. Fundamentals of Trapping. Instructor: Charlie McManus
The class will be held under the large tent. Charlie is an accomplished trapper of otter, beaver, muskrat, raccoons and other species. His class will cover methods of trapping various furbearers, caring for the fur, selling fur, and tanning methods. Charlie is very enthusiastic about his hobby and this class will be interesting.
7:00 p.m. ENTERTAINMENT:
Country music was the theme. Bobby Bare, Lacy J Dalton, Emmy Lou Harris, and others appeared, Special Guest was Ted Nugent. FOX 2 Detroit's News Caster Kam Carman was the MC for the night.
Kids Fishing Day was a tremendous success.
The local community and the park community contributed a great deal to the success of Kids Fishing Day at Orchard Lake. In addition to all the park employees there were 585 volunteers who helped out that day with some working the whole 18 hours of the fishing day, and many of them even helped get ready the night before.
Many merchants also helped out in a very significant way with donations. Among the donors were Seven Mile Chrysler Dodge Jeep, Valley Vehicles, Tim's Fly Shop, Michigan North Cooperation, First Independent Bank of Orchard Lake, Able 2 Products, Les Jacobs Ford, Commerce Bank, Wal-Mart of Livonia, Wal-Mart Distribution Center, Daylight Donuts, Donut Hole, Jack Henry and Associates, Tomblin's, Security Bank of Cassville, Bass Pro Shops, American National Fish and Wildlife Museum, Subway, Fastrip, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Maggies Place, Docker's Park Zoo, Berkley-Trilene, Hank Parker's Outdoor Magazine, W4 COUNTRY Music Radio, Ranger Boats, Strike King Lure, Sandy's by The Beech, FOX 2 Detroit, Tom's Fishing, Jim Dandy Scent Company, Bill Dance Outdoors, Hunting and Fishing Divas, People Outdoors, TJ's Home Improvements, Eagle Claw and many others. With the help of all these donors it was possible to furnish free food and sodas, free make your own tee shirts and headbands, the many prizes and free rods and reels to around 350 kids who did not own one.
During the course of the day 1,205 kids participated- a NEW record, the previous record was in 2000 with 983 children. Of these at least 170 caught their first fish ever. Just seeing the Smiles on their face said it all. Twenty-five fishing related classes were conducted between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m and over 650 children participated in these classes. These children were rewarded with a prize, their next tag free and their name entered into a drawing for bigger prizes such a fishing rods and reels, fishing vests, boom boxes, and bicycles. A contest was also conducted for biggest fish and biggest stringer in boys and girls divisions. Evan Hurford from Farmington Hills won for the biggest fish at 4.9 lbs while Stephanie Pierce from Redford (TJ's neighbor) won in the girls division with a 4.94lb. Bass.(maybe she had help!!!! LOL) Dexter Grayson from Livonia won for the biggest stringer at 11.23 lbs. and Christina Van Kirk from Garden City won in the girls division at 9.2 lbs. These kids got their first choice in all the prizes to be given out. Evan chose a rod and reel ( Mark Jones of Vision Taxidermy also gave him a free mount of his fish) and Dexter chose a fishing vest. Stephanie and Christina were not present so they were awarded a new rod and reel. Kory Rigby - Shell Knob, Georgia Belle, Pete Berryville , Kenneth Nichols, Ray More, Joshua Young , Krista Bennett, Neil Cooley, Becky Houston, Brandon Horn, Austin Klein won family passes to the Wonders of Wildlife Museum in Springdale. Tim Wagner Wentworth, Patterson Berryville, and Dustin Tucker won new rods and reels. Megan Ballay, Zach Fly, Tayden Barretto, Joseph Pollock, and Dakota Zelinski won Abu Garcia tackle packs. Allysa Parsons, Victoria Smith, Tiffany Pearce, and Jesse Couch won AM/FM radio cassette recorders. Jacob Smith won a Snapo fish stringer, Ashley Kiallman won a Zebco Gold 11 reel, and Karla Essary won a bicycle.
KIDS DAY ENTERTAINMENT
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"Lacy J Dalton"
"Emmy Lou Harris"
"Sammie Jaye"
"Sisters Wade"
