(Press Release)

25th Annual Kids Fishing Festival Saturday, July 28th, 2012 8am-3pm SnowCreek Ponds on Old Mammoth Road, Mammoth Lakes

This year marks the Silver Anniversary of the Kids Fishing Festival to be held July 28th, 2012, from 8am to 3pm at the SnowCreek Ponds on Old Mammoth Road in the resort town of Mammoth Lakes, California. Locally famous 15 inch Alpers trophy trout will be stocked in these beautiful High Sierra ponds (with a couple of monsters added for fun) with Mammoth Mountain forming a picturesque backdrop. This popular event is FREE for kids 14 and under and will run from 8am to 3pm. Rods and reels are provided, you can bring your own or perhaps you will even win one! Come later, receive more individual attention from our guides, have lunch, and win more raffle prizes.

Fisheries staff from the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) will be available to lend a hand and teach children a little about California’s trout fisheries. Every child will receive their own California Fishing Passport and fish identification book. Catch a fish and get special passport stamps in your book! A beautiful trout aquarium, provided by Hot Creek Hatchery, will be on display and loaded with enormous trout. DFG is also bringing their popular “Fishing in the City” Program to teach kids about the joys of fishing. These wonderful volunteers will bring the loaner rods and reels and teach casting techniques. Our regional Game Wardens will be on hand as well as Smokey the Bear and his Forest Service buddies.

Fishing guides from the Eastern Sierra Fishing Guides Assn. will be assisting and teaching flyfishing and catch-and-release techniques. More guides from the Aguabonita FlyFishing Club in Ridgecrest will also be available to help and instruct. Aguabonita is bringing aquatic insects and microscopes so the kids can learn about entomology and the food sources for trout. There will also be fly tying lessons so the kids can make a fly, put it on their rods, practice fly casting with our expert guides, and then catch a trout! There is complimentary fish cleaning available so you can take home your trout and have it for dinner.

Mono Council for the Arts will have a tshirt painting booth where kids can make trout imprints as a remembrance of their experience. There will be a giant 7ft. trout that the kids can decorate with chalk. And when each child registers, they will receive a raffle ticket with a chance to win numerous fun prizes throughout the day such as rods & reels, tackle boxes, trout coloring books, fun casting games and boat rentals for the family.

This annual event is fun for the entire family. The Lions Club supplies free coffee and donuts. Cocos Locos will offer snow cones and tacos for lunch. The Mammoth Fire Dept. will have their adorable old fire engine and talk about their Canoe Races and Picnic afterward on Saturday and Sunday. This is a family weekend in Mammoth not to be missed. Mammoth is presenting 3 FREE family festivals! Sunday is kids day and the Firemen’s Picnic at Shady Rest Park. The Village at Mammoth Lakes has VillageFest with bands playing Friday evening and Saturday from noon to 10pm. VillageFest has California’s highest Rib and Chili cook off, live music, a beer garden, and plenty of fun activities for all ages, Facebook.com/mammothvillagefest.

The Kids Fishing Festival is sponsored by Mono Council for the Arts, the Eastern Sierra Fishing Guides Assn. and by Berkley/Pure Fishing who also brings lots of experienced guides, more loaner rods & reels and free gear. Additional funding comes from the Mono County Fisheries Commission. For more information, call Gaye at (760)937-2942, email [email protected] or go to  www.KidsFishFest.com.