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St. LOUIS, Mo.—The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) wants everyone to discover the fun of fishing. To give people of all physical abilities a chance to give angling a try, MDC will hold two Fishing for People with Disabilities programs Saturday, June 4. The first will be at the Hatchery lakes in St. Louis’ Forest Park from 10—11:30 a.m. The second will be at the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area in St. Charles from 1—2:30 p.m.
These will be catch-and-release programs, wheelchair-accessible, and designed specifically for both children and adults who have disabilities. The event is open to persons ages 7 and up with physical and developmental disabilities of all types.
June is a terrific time to spend a morning or afternoon fishing. Participants will learn how to bait a hook, cast a line, catch, and remove fish from a hook with guidance from MDC staff. All fishing will take place at MDC-stocked educational lakes reserved exclusively for this special program. All equipment and bait will be provided, as well as some adaptive equipment to assist with holding fishing poles.
The program is free, and no fishing licenses are required for participants as a special use group permit has been obtained for this event. Participants are asked to provide any specialized support and assistance they would need for normal daily activities.
The Fishing for People with Disabilities programs are offered in cooperation between MDC and the Recreation Council of Greater St Louis. Advanced registration is required. Those interested can either register online at the following links:
Alternatively, participants may contact SFleming@recreationcouncil.org, or 314-726-6044, to register. Program participants should also provide an email address to receive directions to the lakes and a working cell phone number in case of cancellation due to weather.
Program registrants should note that families now have the option to link their children’s accounts to their own which will streamline the program registration process. Once a group account is set up, parents will be able to register their children to an event without having to logoff and login for each person. This allows parents to register an entire family or select family members to an event at the same time.
Sign up for email or text alerts to stay informed of MDC’s latest programs and events by going to https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZoP.
