A tad earlier this year, the Loveland Kids Fishing Derby will be Saturday, May 17th
Blog by: Bill Prater , CO 4/30/2025 (Return to blogs)
This free event for kids 15 and under will be 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 17th at the North Lake Duck Pond at the corner of Taft and 29th Street.
To qualify for free raffle drawing prizes and prizes for the largest and smallest trout caught, anglers just need to register at the pond before starting to fish.
The Derby was traditionally held on the first weekend in June, timed with a day of free fishing offered by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). It was moved to mid-May last year at the request of CPW biologists to take advantage of cooler water preferred by rainbow trout. Everyone of all ages will be free to fish the pond after the contest. (License required for older anglers)
No one seems to know the exact date of the first Loveland's Kids Fishing Derby, but for decades the perennial spring event has attracted families from throughout Northern Colorado. Not a year passes without a few senior citizens passing along recollections of catching their very first fish at the free derby, a collective effort of Loveland Police, the Loveland Fishing Club, Kiwanis, Colorado Youth Outdoors (CYO), Loveland Chilson Senior Center – and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which will once again contribute hundreds of hungry rainbow trout for the kids. And CYO volunteers will even clean and cook the catch for anglers.
Don't have a pole or know quite how to bait a hook? The Loveland Fishing Club can supply loaner poles and bait.
Think you'll be hungry? Kiwanis for years has provided family-priced food and drink.
For more information, drop me a note at billjohnp@gmail.com
To qualify for free raffle drawing prizes and prizes for the largest and smallest trout caught, anglers just need to register at the pond before starting to fish.
The Derby was traditionally held on the first weekend in June, timed with a day of free fishing offered by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). It was moved to mid-May last year at the request of CPW biologists to take advantage of cooler water preferred by rainbow trout. Everyone of all ages will be free to fish the pond after the contest. (License required for older anglers)
No one seems to know the exact date of the first Loveland's Kids Fishing Derby, but for decades the perennial spring event has attracted families from throughout Northern Colorado. Not a year passes without a few senior citizens passing along recollections of catching their very first fish at the free derby, a collective effort of Loveland Police, the Loveland Fishing Club, Kiwanis, Colorado Youth Outdoors (CYO), Loveland Chilson Senior Center – and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which will once again contribute hundreds of hungry rainbow trout for the kids. And CYO volunteers will even clean and cook the catch for anglers.
Don't have a pole or know quite how to bait a hook? The Loveland Fishing Club can supply loaner poles and bait.
Think you'll be hungry? Kiwanis for years has provided family-priced food and drink.
For more information, drop me a note at billjohnp@gmail.com
Blog content © Bill Prater
Latest blogs by Bill:
Possibly the only lousy advice I've ever gotten from Chad LaChance
6/15/2025 6:15:00 PM
6/15/2025 6:15:00 PM
A Big Fish Story about Tiny Gear
5/5/2025 10:15:00 AM
5/5/2025 10:15:00 AM
About the Author
A past president and editor for the Loveland Fishing Club, Bill John favors smallmouth bass but won't pass up anything with fins. He'd no doubt be skilled at one type of fishing or another, but constantly rotates obsession between spinning gear, bait casters, fly rods and Tenkara. The Prater garage is littered with a bass boat, canoe, multiple float tubes and of course an ice hut. Interested in getting involved in an all-species fishing club for seniors? Drop me a note at billjohnp@gmail.com