Hooked on fishing
BILL BULEY/Press Donovan Hogan casts his fishing line into the pond at Falls Park while his grandfather,Steve Barnes, offers advice on Saturday.
The Wright kids, from left, Thomas, Madeline and Nicholas, join grandfather Thomas Cherry after a day at the fishing derby at Falls Park in Post Falls.
BILL BULEY/Press
BILL BULEY/Press Justin and Kimberly Moehle and son Nolan enjoy the fishing derby at Falls Park on Saturday.
Thomas Wright weighs his fish while others wait their turn at the derby at Falls Park on Saturday.
Annual derby reels in kids and adults
POST FALLS — As Donovan Hogan cast his fishing line into the pond at Falls Park, his grandfather, Steve Barnes, kept a close eye on him.
“Mom said, ‘Grandpa, you’ve got to take him fishing,’ and I said, ‘OK,’” Barnes said Saturday.
He smiled as he explained that he and his 8-year-old grandson have been doing more fishing lately and enjoying success. He pointed to a tiny fish Donovan had earlier pulled from the waters and said it could win the prize for smallest fish.
“He’s getting to be pretty good,” Barnes said.
They hadn’t given up on landing a monster, either.
“We still might catch a big one,” he said. “We have some other tricks in the box.”
The two were among a crowd of about 60 kids, moms and dads, grandfathers and grandmothers, who came out for the free annual fishing derby sponsored by Post Falls Parks and Recreation.
On a cool, cloudy morning, youngsters were thrilled when they reeled one in, while adults helped remove it from the hook. From there the fish went into plastic bags to await being measured and weighed for a chance to win prizes for largest and smallest fish in the three age groups.
Justin and Kimberly Moehle brought their son, Nolan, to the derby, and he was excited as he talked about catching fish and how they pulled one from the pond.
“He did good,” his father said.
Brothers Thomas and Nicholas Wright and sister Madeline, of Post Falls, took turns weighing their catches.
The family made a day of it at the derby, using worms and eggs.
“I loved it,” Thomas said. “It was really fun.”
Nicholas watched proudly as his fish were placed on the scale.
“I got a fat one and a skinny one,” he said.
One fish was still alive, so Madeline returned it to the pond.
“Let’s put it back,” she said.
Thomas Cherry, grandfather of the three, said he was “kind of teaching them” about fishing.
“I’m not that great of a fisherman,” he said, chuckling. “It’s nice they were able to catch some fish.”
Rita Wright, their mom, called it a fabulous day, “just for them to have some special time with their papa to fish.”
The family wasn’t sure about what would become of the fish, other than taking them home.
“I’m not eating them,” Rita Wright said, laughing.
