Michigan Mixed Bag: Kids Fishing Day returns to DNR Pocket Park in Escanaba

Escanaba, Mich. — The 31st annual Kids Fishing Day is on June 8. Registration is between 1:30 and 3 p.m. at the Michigan DNR Pocket Park, at the Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds in Escanaba.

All activities are free of charge and open to youth ages 16 years old and younger.

“We are excited to again hold our fishing event at the Pocket Park,” said Gary Olson, longtime Kids Fishing Day team member and organizer. “It offers plenty of space for most all the traditional fun favorites at Kids Fishing Day events, plus some new activities; and the Pocket Park offers a beautiful natural-like setting right in the middle of Escanaba.”

Popular returning activities include bluegill fishing, minnow races, and face painting, along with free food and raffle prizes.

For more information, or if you would like to volunteer to help at the event, contact Brenda at (906) 286-1348.

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Outdoor News Contributor Inducted Into Fishing Hall of Fame

Hayward, Wisc. — Outdoor News contributing writer Dan Small has been inducted into the International Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame. The recognition is bestowed on those who have spent a great share of their lives promoting, educating, and sharing their passion for freshwater fishing in a manner that positively affects the sport for the millions of anglers around the world.

Small served as editor of Wisconsin Outdoor News from 1993 to 1998, and as a contributing editor from 1998 to the present. He has written more than 1,000 articles for national and regional magazines, including Outdoor Life, Sports Afield, and Game & Fish publications, and authored three books.

From 1984 to 2020, he hosted the weekly TV show Outdoor Wisconsin, which aired on PBS stations throughout the U.S. Since 2006, he has hosted and produced the weekly radio show, Outdoors Radio, which airs on 21 terrestrial stations in Wisconsin and Minnesota and is available on multiple podcast platforms.

He has hosted and produced numerous videos, including Gamefish! (1988) and Learning to Fish for Stream Trout (2022).

His articles, broadcasts and photos have won more than 300 awards from the Outdoor Writers Association of America and the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers.

DNR Asks Anglers to Report Tagged Brown Trout for New Rifle River Study

Bay City, Mich. — The Michigan DNR is asking Rifle River and Saginaw Bay anglers to keep an eye out for brown trout with a tag or clip and to report information as part of a new study.

This spring, the DNR initiated a pilot study to gauge brown trout movement in the Rifle River and their exchange between the river and Saginaw Bay. Over the next two years, approximately 20 brown trout in this vicinity will be tagged with an internal acoustic telemetry tag (transmitters). These IATTs will send a series of pings to nearby receivers, which essentially act as underwater computers. These tags connect with the network of receivers in Saginaw Bay and the main basin to collect fish movement information.

Along with the tags for the pilot study, brown trout stocked in the Rifle River are marked with one of four fin clips specific to stocking location: left pelvic, right pelvic, left pectoral and right pectoral.

Anyone who catches a tagged or clipped fish is asked to report their catch using the tag return form at Michigan.gov/EyesInTheField

If you catch and keep a tagged brown trout, please be sure to remove the internal transmitter from the fish, rinse it with water and store it at room temperature. Do not freeze the transmitter.

For a $100 reward and arrangements to return the transmitter, or for questions about the study, contact April Simmons at (989) 686-2295.

2024 Bassmaster College Series Headed to Saginaw Bay

Bay City, Mich. — College fishing teams from across the country will converge on Saginaw Bay and connecting waters June 6-7 when the Bassmaster College Series hosts a tournament on the Bay.

The tournament will be based at Veteran’s Memorial Park, John F. Kennedy Drive in downtown Bay City.

Takeoffs begin at 5:30 a.m. and the weigh-in starts at 2 p.m.

Contestants will go out in flights. Flights and check-in times will be staggered to give each contestant equal fishing time.

Visit Bassmaster.com for more info.