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Looking for something to do with the family during winter break? Make time to get outside, unwind, and spend time with family and friends while fishing one of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ (LDWF) 17 sites participating in the Get Out and Fish! community fishing program. LDWF stocks Get Out and Fish! ponds with adult-size channel catfish in the spring and fall, and rainbow trout in the winter, to increase your chances of bringing home a few keepers for a fish fry!

To add a little extra excitement to your fishing experience, LDWF will be hosting a tagged catfish derby at all of our Get Out and Fish! ponds between Saturday, December 18^th, and Saturday, December 25^th. Anglers who catch and report a tagged channel catfish caught at a Get Out and Fish! pond during the December 18-25 derby, will receive a fishing prize pack from LDWF. Each pond will have ten tagged channel catfish released with the other stocked catfish.

For more information about the event including directions to each of the ponds, reporting instructions, derby rules, and tips on how to catch catfish, click here.

Anglers 16 and older must possess a Louisiana fishing license when fishing in any Louisiana public waters.  Licenses are available for purchase online at https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/recreational-fishing-licenses-and-permits. By purchasing a fishing license, Louisiana receives matching funds from the Sport Fish Restoration Program for public fishing and boating access, fishing programs and education and fisheries management.

Get Out and Fish! Community Fishing sites to be stocked with tagged catfish include:

• Turner’s Pond – Minden
• Grambling City Park Pond – Grambling
• Elmore D. Mayfield Park – Ruston
• Kiroli Park – West Monroe
• William T. Polk City Park Pond – Vidalia
• Purple Heart Memorial Park Pond – Ragley
• 1-10 Park – Jennings
• Girard Park – Lafayette
• Southside Regional Park – Fabacher Field – Youngsville
• Bayou Country Sports Park – Houma
• Zemurray Park – Hammond
• Bogue Chitto State Park – Franklinton
• Joe W. Brown Park – New Orleans
• Parc Natchitoches – Natchitoches
• Pearson Lake, Forts Randolph & Buhlow State Historic Site – Pineville
• BREC’S Burbank Park – Baton Rouge
• Sidney Hutchinson Park – Walker

Follow LDWF Get Out and Fish (@ldwfgetoutandfish) on Facebook and Instagram for park updates.

This event is hosted in conjunction with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation (LAWFF). The LAWFF was formed to help expand and support LDWF education and research programs with additional resources developed through its own facilities. Encouraging support for LDWF programs is the major focus of the Foundation, accomplished by connecting people and businesses with Louisiana’s natural resources. For more information, visit www.lawff.org.