Select a Date.
Take into consideration: weather, school schedules, other
activities ie. Sporting events, Religious Services, holiday vacations
etc.
Selection a Location. Take
into consideration: accessibility (can a youngster walk or ride
a bicycle if parents do not want to be involved), parking, terrain
(rattlesnakes etc., steepness of shoreline, swiftness of current,
depth of water, shoreline vegetation), facilities (running water,
restrooms), size of the body of water (too small can't hold many
fish, too large and fish will disperse (may need to consider
netting off a portion of a lager or free flowing body of water).
Remember, you want kids to be able to catch fish.
Permits. Depending on
the desired location, check with city, parks department, state
Fish and Game. If stocking fish, may need permit to do so. Stock
2-3 times the number of expected participants. Will also need
to contact aquaculturist (fish farmer) well in advance. Consider
water temperature, oxygen content etc. when selecting fish to
stock. Also be prepared to plant fish the day before the derby,
feed the fish according to their normal schedule (if you starve
the fish before planting, the fish will gorge themselves after
planting and will not be hungry for the derby), and be prepared
to ward off premature anglers looking for easy pickings before
the derby actually starts.
Insurance. Will liability
insurance be necessary/required?
Select sponsors if necessary. A
nice event can cost $$. Local sporting good stores or bait shops
may be willing to help with cash donations, discounts on purchases,
or donations of supplies. Be sure to recognize these folks with
signage at the event and/or thank-you in local paper. Department
of Fish and Game may have programs in place to help with stocking
of fish.
Equipment necessary. Will
you provide loaner rods/reels, hooks, weights, and live bait?
Make arrangements with local bait shop just in case you need
more bait during the event.
Prizes. Raffle prizes,
prizes for tagged fish (try not to introduce competition by awarding
first, largest or most fish) etc. Have "First Fish"
certificates printed up for those, or any, youngsters that catch
their first fish.
Refreshments. Try not
to "sell" refreshments, make them accessible to all
of the children. Local dairies may donate or discount healthy
refreshments. Do you want to provide a free pancake breakfast
for the young participants (we charged adults a nominal fee,
$1.50, for breakfast)? Check local Health Dept. regulations if
you provide anything for human consumption.
Promotion. Consider local
paper, fliers at school, pizza parlors, bait shops etc.
Fish Cleaning stations. Clean
the fish, pack in plastic bag with ice??? (this adds a lot of
work, however, parents like to have the fish cleaned so it does
not get wasted. Send a receipt home so that the fish gets cooked
and "Johnny/Susie" can be proud that he/she provided
dinner. If cleaning catfish, place barriers so that fish clubbing
station is not visible.
First Aid Station. Contact
paramedics to be on hand just in case. Kids love to look at ambulances,
fire trucks, police cars etc, contact these agencies as this
is a good chance for them to make public relations contact with
a lot of children.
Participants. Set age
limitations (ex. Ages 5-11 yrs.), set time constraints for derby
(7-12). Do not let parents do all of the fishing, let them bait
and cast only. Also consider a one or two fish limit per child.
Plan for many more participants than you expect. At our first
fish derby we expected maybe 100 kids, we were hoping for 150
kids, we actually had 445 participants!
Help. Obtain lots of.
Need help baiting hooks, netting fish, registering participants,
taking photos (we had a large sign made promoting Kiwanis and
the event with an animated catfish on it and every child that
caught a fish had a Polaroid photo taken with the fish in front
of the sign for the child to take home.
Cleanup. Be sure the local
environment is cleaner than when arriving. Provide trash receptacles
and a cleanup crew.