All area children age 15 and under are invited to Chico's twenty-second annual "Hooked on Fishing, not on Drugs" free children's fishing event that will take place from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM tomorrow at Horseshoe Lake in Upper Bidwell Park [across from the golf course].

Some 8,000 pounds of channel catfish in the 1 to 3-pound class that will be stocked in the lake [limit one fish per kid]. Free bait, free loaner tackle, free fish cleaning, and free instruction are all available.

Those with their own tackle are encouraged to bring it, but remember that lead sinkers are not allowed at Horseshoe Lake. It's also the perfect occasion to try out your grandpa's "secret" catfish bait recipe. There will be a separate area for the littlest anglers age 1 to 5, and an aquarium display featuring the aquatic life in Horseshoe Lake will be presented by the Chico Area Flyfishers.

To minimize the event's impact on Horseshoe Lake's local fish population, any kid who manages to catch and release one of the resident largemouth bass, carp, or bullheads that inhabit Horseshoe Lake year-round will be rewarded with a new rod and reel courtesy of the Chico Bass Club. The yeoman job of cleaning those thousands of catfish falls to the Chico Rotary Club. Both the Sunrise and Noon Rotary have been stalwart volunteers and financial donors since the event's inception. The Chico Bass Club and dozens of additional volunteers worked Thursday evening to rig up the hundreds of loaner rods with the special Danielson "Enviro-Quest" steel sinkers that are required by Bidwell Park's "lead-free" regulations.

The public is invited to view the fish stocking at noon on Friday, but once the fish are stocked, fishing will be closed for the day until Saturday morning. This is a "kids only" event, so no fishing license is required, and no fishing by adults is allowed.

Refreshments like water, sodas, hot dogs, and snacks will be available from local Chico Boy Scout Troop 3, who will also have coffee and Danish in the morning. Shuttles will be running from the entrance of upper park. A Facebook page has also been set up. Call 891-4757 for more information.

Chairman of the organizing committee Pete Giampaoli said, "Our goal is to give every local kid a positive first-time experience with a wholesome outdoor activity they can participate in for their entire lives, and also have a really good chance to catch a fish."