Photo credit: Chelsea Joy Photography
Written by Sarah Howe, MSUM Intern with River Keepers
Tuesday, August 24th, 2021 saw a great group of families and fishermen alike at Dike East Park in Fargo at Lil’ Fisherman’s Clinic & Derby. Folks attended the event put on by both River Keepers and F-M Walleyes Unlimited to learn about the Red River and its inhabitants, along with how to keep it safe and healthy for everyone, followed by a fishing tournament on the river.
Several volunteers donated their time by assisting at seven activities around the park, each one teaching and promoting a different aspect of fishing on the Red River. Activities had topics such as fish identification, where visitors used a special board with photos of native fish on the left and names of fish on the right to test their fish identification knowledge. Another activity set up taught about specific knots for fishing, and a third had a boat from the FM Walleyes covered in fake aquatic invasive species plants, and the activity was scoping out the boat to make sure all the plants were removed before using the boat in another body of water, to stop the spread of invasive species.
The clinic ran from 5 to 6 p.m., and the F-M Walleyes provided hots dogs, chips, and beverages for everyone. At 6 p.m., participants were encouraged to fish along the river during a tournament-style event. The winners received trophies and bragging rights!
Informing the public in fun and meaningful ways about how to sustain and enjoy the Red River is a huge part of River Keepers’ mission, and it has been for decades. Become a volunteer for River Keepers today by emailing kimberly@riverkeepers.org to help keep that mission going!