After 25 years of teaching kids how to fish, the Kalamalka Fly Fishers Society (KFFS) are reluctantly hanging up their rods at Vernon's Polson Park.
The final Kids Fishing Weekend took place on Saturday and Sunday, May 3 and 4. The city of Vernon's Polson Park's naturalization project will see the elimination of the pond, and with it, 25 years of fishing history.
"The biggest thing was seeing a lot of older people who are taking their kids to this event say 'I used to fish here when I was a kid,'" said KFFS president Perry Wainwright. "There has been a lot of history of fishing here."
The KFFS have been spearheading the free fishing weekend since 2001, but the history of pond fishing has been around since at least the 1950s and 60s, according to Wainwright.
This year, over 750 trout were dropped into the pond by Freshwater Fisheries, after the flushing and cleaning of the pond.
Rods and reels were available to all kids aged 4-14, along with a bait, cleaning and photo station.
The rainy weather on Saturday and parts of Sunday made for a lower-than-expected turnout, according to Wainwright, but several kids still showed up, eager to catch their first ever fish.
A raffle station was also set up, where participants could win a tackle box and fly rod.
"Community support has been wonderful," added Wainwright. "I am going to miss that too."
