Free fishing day is coming! Free fishing day is coming!

The fishing fun in Powell starts Saturday at 6 a.m. and will run until 11 a.m. Folks who wish to participate in the morning derby are required to make reservations at the Rec Department headquarters or by calling 307-754-5711 by the end of the day Friday. Children competing in the derby will have one-hour time slots to catch their feisty trout. Reservations are limited, so it’s best not to wait until the last day to get a time.

Powell Rec Department supervisor Colby Stenerson said it was difficult to get excited about the event last year, as the global pandemic nearly shut down the annual Powell Kids’ Fishing Day celebration. “Only about 25 kids showed up,” he said. However, Stenerson hopes for 150 kids at Saturday’s event.

After the derby finishes, there is free fishing through the rest of the day for all adults and children. The facility will be open from sunrise to sunset. 

The Parks Department stocks the pond with about 1,000 trout each year. A Wyoming fishing license is required to fish (other than on Saturday).

Wyoming Outdoorsmen is sponsoring this year’s fishing day in Powell and they came through “in a big way,” Stenerson said. The support means a huge prize pool for door prizes and the fishing derby.

“Supporting programs like kids’ fishing derbies is a good investment in the future for us,” said Janet Stambaugh, president of the nonprofit organization.

Along with hunter safety courses in the Big Horn Basin, 4-H shooting sports activities and scholarships for area students continuing their education, Wyoming Outdoorsmen also sponsors the Cody Kids’ Fishing Day.

The Cody event is also set for Saturday, running from 9 a.m. to noon at Beck Lake Recreation Area. Registration begins at 8 a.m. at the entrance to the recreation area from 14th Street. 

“This is a great opportunity for Cody area youth and their families to spend the day enjoying the outdoors and learning about fishing,” said Tara Hodges, information and education specialist.“The event is free of charge and the entire family is encouraged to attend.”

Children and their families will have the opportunity to catch yellow perch, cutthroat, rainbow and brown trout in Cody. Assistance will be available for beginner anglers, according to a press release.

The Game and Fish virtual Interactive Fishing Guide can also help you find your favorite species at any time of the year.

“The interactive fishing guide is useful for all anglers,” said Mark Smith, Game and Fish assistant fisheries management supervisor. “For the vast majority of people who want to plan a fishing trip, this tool will answer your top questions.”

Most anglers planning a Wyoming fishing trip want to know four pieces of information: where to go, the species of catchable fish, how to get to the water and what the public access is like. The interactive fishing guide answers all those questions with a few simple clicks. The key is zooming in to the area on the map to easily select the body of water you are exploring. It may even lead you to a hidden gem that will be a future honey hole.

Anglers can search by species to find corresponding destination waters. Or, you can search the bodies of water to find out what fish are available. 

“This is a great feature for finding where just about any water in Wyoming is located,” Smith said. “And, it’s quick for anyone to find the simple information they need to get fishing.”