Boonsboro Fishing Rodeo

Type: Nontidal
Region: Central
Location: Boonsboro

The Boonsboro Town Council sponsored the annual rodeo event on May 14th at Boonsboro Pond in the Schafer Memorial Park.

The rain didn�t stop the 127 kids from coming out to fish for the 400 trout that were stocked by AP Hatchery. The younger age group 1-6 year olds fished from 8:30-10:30. As coordinator Rich Hawkins announced the start of the rodeo, it didn�t take long for the first trout to be pulled from the pond. Each angler was allowed to keep 3 trout and some of the youngster had their limit with-in a half an hour including Evan who was among the first to catch his limit. The older group (7-12 year olds) fished from 11:00 to 1:00, not sure if they were as successful as the younger kids as it seem the fish stopped biting shortly after 12:00 noon, however the total fish caught for the day was over 175.

A core group of about 10 volunteers have been assisting with this event for the past 18 years and are responsible for securing donations for door prizes, $5 gift cards from local businesses and lunch. They also provide a limited number of loaner rod and reels and plenty of bait. One added bonus was a fish cleaning station, this was especially helpful since all kids could have their trout cleaned right away so all Mom and Dad have to do is cook it up.