11:30am | Like shooting fish in a barrel, it seemed the simplest of things to dip a line into the small, freshly stocked lake at El Dorado Regional Park and come away with dinner for twelve. You would think so, but on this day you would be wrong.
Unlike last year’s Youth Fishing Derby, when kids pulled more than their fair share from the serene lake, pickings were slim this past Saturday. Armed with fishing poles and tackle provided free by Long Beach Parks, Recreation, and Marine and The Daniel Hernandez Youth Foundation, children of all ages found their place around the lake, cast their line, and waited.
And waited.
Perhaps this year’s stock of rainbow trout ate everything in sight as soon as they got off the boat — at least that was one father’s guess. There were plenty more theories to join his on why the fish weren’t biting. Every bent-back pole on the reel created a ripple of excitement followed by groans as the mucky weed or twig was disengaged from the hook. “Thought you had one there!” became a common phrase for the day.
On the occasion there was a fish at the end of the line, it was soon joined by children reaching out with timid fingers to touch the lucky recipient’s bounty.
And if the fish were too well-fed to bite, so too were the ducks, who gorged on marshmallows and worms hand-fed to them by laughing children. It seemed the little ones had finally found use for the cup of bait dispersed along with the poles at the beginning of their day’s adventure spent with fathers and mothers.
If too few took fish, they all took memories that last a lifetime.
Parents and children patiently waited to be handed their bait and fishing pole.
A young participant leaned his pole out in the hopes he’d score a rainbow trout bite.
An enthused fisherman-to-be scored a catch for his record books.
A small rainbow trout provided an amusing experience for Super Fisherman.
Even the chilly weather couldn’t wipe the grins on many peoples’ faces.
I went to the Youth Fishing Derby — and I conquered!
Boys and girls alike were interested in touching any aquatic creature they could get their hands on.
A boy determined to set his line just right.
Fisherwoman hopeful elegantly prepares her pole.
Practice makes perfect — even when you’re having fun.
Sometimes the lines of others were more captivating than one’s own.
A father offered advice and help in the hopes that a fish would take a bite of his son’s bait.
Fishermen and fisherwomen alike partook in the Youth Fishing Derby.
The small lake within El Dorado Park managed to reflect the blue sky gorgeously, providing a serene environment for Long Beachers to escape to.