All Chico-area children age 14 and under are invited to the free "Hooked on Fishing, not on Drugs" kids' fishing event that will take place from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM tomorrow (Sat. May 21) at Horseshoe Lake in Upper Bidwell Park. Some 8,000 pounds of channel catfish in the one to three-pound range will be planted to make sure that every child has the chance to catch a fish (limit 1 fish per kid).

Organizers provide free bait, free loaner tackle, free expert instruction, and free fish cleaning. There are even special "Huck Finn Ponds" for the littlest anglers age 1 to 5, where the fish are "pre-hooked" for an easy photo opportunity.

Children age 15 and under do not require a fishing license in California. Anglers are welcome to bring their own rods and reels, or their own "secret" catfish bait, but please remember that lead sinkers are not allowed at Horseshoe Lake.

There will be an excellent aquarium display showing off the underwater denizens of Horseshoe Lake, courtesy of the Chico Area Flyfishers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will also have an educational fish identification display.

Tagging surveys show that about 50-60 percent of the catfish are caught during the event, with the balance of the fish providing angling opportunities for local youth for the balance of the summer. The heavy influx of catfish also benefits the lake ecosystem by cleaning out the stunted members of the panfish population.

A few years back, the City of Chico installed about a dozen "catfish spawning structures", allowing the fish population to partially sustain itself. Any child who catches one of the lake's resident largemouth bass will receive a brand-new rod and reel for releasing it alive back into the water, courtesy of the Chico Bass Club.

The event receives financial assistance from the Chico Noon Rotary, Bryan V. Kerchal Memorial, Chico Sunrise Rotary, Chico Area Flyfishers, California Inland Fisheries Foundation, Friends of Rollo, and a diverse group of local businesses and individuals. The yeoman task of rigging and repairing the 500 loaner rods and reels falls to the Chico Bass Club.

For anyone interested in the spectacle of several truckloads of catfish being dropped into Horseshoe Lake, the scheduled planting is around Noon today (Friday). Once the fish are planted in the lake, fishing will be prohibited until the start of the event on Saturday. Volunteer orientation is at 6:30 AM Saturday morning.