Handful of area anglers take advantage of free fishing

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

Five-year old Bentley Howard Ackley had a choice Saturday morning — he could go to the Bike Rodeo in Charles City, or he could go fishing.

Bentley chose fishing.

“He’s a big outdoorsman,” said Paul Ritter, Bentley’s grandfather. “He loves it.”

Bentley and “Papa” spent the Iowa DNR’s Free Fishing Weekend trying to hook a few bluegills at the 3-acre pond at R Campground in Charles City. The annual event allowed Iowa residents to try fishing without buying a license on June 7-9. All other regulations remained in place.

The DNR said in a release that free fishing weekend is a great time to take kids fishing or invite a neighbor or friend to come along. The release said outdoor fun awaits at hundreds of Iowa lakes, thousands of miles of rivers or a neighborhood pond.

“Grab your family and your poles, hook a memory, and don’t let go,” said Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa DNR’s Fisheries Bureau. “The memories are always bigger than the fish.”

Bentley and his grandfather didn’t need any additional angling encouragement. They said they fish the pond quite often.

“It’s easier fishing here than it is the river, especially for a youngster,” Ritter said. “It’s a little bit safer.”

Ritter said he thinks the annual free fishing event is a positive thing for Iowa anglers.

“I believe it’s a really good idea,” Ritter said. “They get people out and they enjoy it. That’s good a thing to do.”

Although they were only able to induce a few little ones to bite on Saturday, Ritter said that Bentley once hauled in a two-pound bass. Bentley prefers using artificial lures over live bait.

“I use the fake ones,” he said. His Papa said that every time they go into Theisen’s, Bentley needs a new lure, and he has quite a collection now.

On another side of the pond, brothers Donald and Clyde Parker, ages 75 and 79, were more entertained by watching young Bentley fish than they were by their own angling endeavors.

“I enjoy watching the younger kids fish. Some them get pretty excited,” Donald said.

He said he caught one small bass in the hour or so they’d spent at the pond Saturday morning.

“We wanted to get out of the house, try our luck for a little bit,” Donald said. “We tried the river, but didn’t get any bites, so we thought we’d try here.”

The two fish the pond once in a while, and have had better luck there in the past, including days when they’ve caught some “pretty good crappies.”

“They can get 14- and 15-inchers out here,” Donald said.

Larschied said the Free Fishing Weekend is a family-friendly event where many parents or grandparents teach their kids or grandkids the time-honored skill.

“It’s been an Iowa tradition and it’s always the first full weekend in June that we allow any resident to fish for free,” Larschied said.