East Peorians may get hooked on fishing with new program

With the second day of summer comes a pastime opportunity in East Peoria that many of all ages enjoy — fishing.

Hooked on Fishing will begin its first season Monday, teaching a group of children from South Side Mission the basics of fishing: baiting a hook, tying knots, casting a line, reeling in a fish, removing it from the line and throwing it back in the stocked pond for the next person to catch.
Since the pond is catch-and-release for everyone, Hooked on Fishing uses barbless hooks to prevent harming the fish.

The ponds, owned by Dixon’s Seafood Shoppe, off North Main Street used to be storage and pay ponds where people paid to fish until they were closed to the public in 1992.
Last year, three local family-owned businesses — Dixon’s Seafood Shoppe, Prairie Home Alliance and Herman’s Pond Management — had the idea of reopening the ponds as a not-for-profit organization that teaches children, people with disabilities, the elderly and anyone else who wants to learn the basics of fishing.

After work got underway in May 2008 to restore the ponds and build new piers, including a handicap-accessible pier and a pavilion, Hooked on Fishing was set to open its first season May 1 this year.

And, then, the rain came. Until this week, the Hooked on Fishing ponds, piers and pavilion were under about 10 feet of water.

Dustin Seidel is studying parks and recreation management at Illinois State University. This summer he is working as an intern with Hooked on Fishing. He and a small staff have been very busy cleaning up after the floods and preparing for their first day of the fishing season.

“I have about three guys working with me and we’re cleaning up a lot of sticks and mud the river brought in,” Seidel said.

Seidel said they will also have to reassess the fish stock since the ponds had already been stocked before the floods and a lot of them were carried out to the river or mixed in the different ponds.

Seidel is also in the process of writing the educational materials for the groups that come to learn about fishing.

“We have a group of about 30 to 35 volunteers set up and we are ready for our first season,” Seidel said, “although we will still take more volunteers if anyone is interested.”

Volunteers will be available to do a lot of hands-on helping, like baiting hooks and taking the fish off the hooks.

Hooked on Fishing offers two sessions a day: 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Seidel said they hope to expand and offer weekend fishing next year.

“Right now, we have at least one session booked for almost every day of the summer. I do have a couple of Fridays open in case a group needs to reschedule in case of rain,” Seidel said.

Although Hooked on Fishing focuses mainly on groups and organizations, they also have certain days set aside for individuals to come and fish.

“If you have a couple of friends you want to fish with or if a family wants to come, we have days where we can group them together,” Seidel said. “Everything is free of charge. We even have equipment you can use or you can bring your own.”

So far, they have several organizations booked for the summer, including park districts, the South Side Mission, veterans’ groups, churches and groups for children and people with disabilities.
Larry Thomas is a youth department manager with South Side Mission.

“My grandfather used to pay $2 to $3 to fish in the Dixon ponds. He’d catch and take home all the catfish he could carry. When I was growing up, he took me fishing a lot.

“When Hooked on Fishing contacted me about their new program, I was ecstatic. I am passionate about fishing, and I really believe that if someone takes the time to take a kid fishing and they have a good experience, they will be hooked. It’s also a wonderful thing to have one-on-one time with someone teaching them how to fish. It’s just another way to keep them off the streets,” Thomas said.

South Side Mission currently has three days scheduled this summer at Hooked on Fishing.

“We are bringing 25 kids between the ages of 9 and 12 on June 22 and they cannot wait. A few of them have grandparents from the country who have taken them fishing before, but most of them have never done it,” Thomas said.

“When you see that bobber disappear all of a sudden and you pull up and see the head of a fish, I don’t care if you’re a kid or an adult who’s seen it over and over, it’s just as exciting as the first time,” Thomas said. “This program is a godsend for a lot of kids.”

Anyone interested in scheduling a day full of fun and fish can contact Hooked on Fishing at 219-3560.