Frank Palmisano’s daughter caught her first fish at age 3 during the Round Lake Family Fish Event last year. “She’s been asking me when we can go fishing again,” said Palmisano, recreation supervisor for the Round Lake Park District.
She’ll get her chance along with other children and adults Saturday when the district sponsors its fourth annual event on Round Lake.
Palmisano helps organize the free event, paid for by the park district through its Huebner Fishery Management Foundation.
Long-time Round Lake resident John Huebner, an advocate of lake conservation, left funds to be used after his death to continue his vision, Palmisano said. “He wanted to have a diverse fish population and people to be able to enjoy the lake.”
The event also includes free pontoon boat rides, a bouncing area, crafts, games, music and a concession stand. Participants also will have the chance to win prizes, including fishing poles and gift certificates. Last year, the district gave away a kayak, Palmisano said.
Children and adults can borrow fishing poles if they don’t have their own, and use the free bait — squiggly worms — provided by the district.
The event continues to grow, and has attracted up to about 400 people.
“There are a lot of people who are learning for the first time, parents and kids, and then some people we see every year,” Palmisano said.
For the neophyte fishermen, “we give them a basic low down on how to fish. We have the poles, all the bait you’ll need, the bobbers, lures and hooks, a basic fishing kit.”
“It’s a really neat experience especially for the kids who haven’t done it before,” he said.
When the bobber goes down, “You can see the excitement on their faces,” he said.
“There’s also that ‘ew’ factor,” when youngsters see the fish dangling on a line attached to a hook.”
Park district staff will be there to show them how to carefully unhook the fish, he said.
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“Sometimes parents know what to do, other times they experiment on their own,” he said. Other times, when they catch a fish, they go running around the shoreline looking for Palmisano to help them get the fish off the hook, he said.
One goal for the event is to get local residents interested in keeping Round Lake healthy, conserving its fish population and reducing pollution, Palmisano said.
Since the district started the family fishing event, he’s noticed more folks coming to volunteer on clean-up days and kids coming to fish with their parents.
“Round Lake is one of the cleaner lakes in the county. But like other lakes, there’s still a lot of work to be done. The more people are out there enjoying the lake, the more they’ll appreciate it and want to help protect it,” he said.
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance writer.
Annual Family Fishing Event
When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Lakefront Park, 1019 N. Lake Shore Drive, Round Lake Beach
Tickets: Free
Information: 847-546-8558; www.rlapd.org