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Photo by Jerry Carlson
Yun Qiu from St. Cloud with her very first fish ever.

Kids' Ice Event a Success

By Jerry Carlson
Saturday, February 13th was a big day for more than 350 young anglers in the St. Cloud area. It was a chance to try their hand at ice fishing on Pleasant Lake near St. Cloud.
Many of those that attended the event were experienced young anglers. However, there were also lots of kids that had never wet a line before, especially in the winter.
This event was a well organized endeavor that came about when the St. Cloud Recreation Department received a grant. Recreation director, Steve Krueger, put the money to use to purchase rods and reels, food, and other equipment necessary to keep hundreds of kids occupied for an afternoon of fishing. Transportation to and from town was also provided.
Mike Smith from Clam Corp brought together members of the Ice Team to assist with on ice instruction. Even Dave Genz was there to help chauffeur young anglers and their families to and from the 400 Club parking lot.
Although the fish weren’t as cooperative as they might have been, there was still plenty of activity on the ice. And when the fish weren’t biting, there were always hot dogs to be consumed and hot chocolate to drink.
An event of this nature takes a huge amount of coordination. A big “thank you” goes out to all of the businesses that donated time and product as well as the volunteers that worked on the ice.