Register by May 2 for kids fishing event at Clear Lake

May 2 is the registration deadline for the annual kids' fishing event at Spokane County's Clear Lake on May 10.

Spokane County 4-H (222 N. Havana St., 509-477-2166) is handling registration for the event, which is open to kids from five to 14 years of age. A five-dollar registration fee includes a rod-and-reel, t-shirt, and fishing instruction. No fishing license is required, since kids 14 and under fish for free in Washington state.

Registrants choose or are assigned half-hour fishing times between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. There is a cap on the number of participants because of space and time limitations. Participants are allowed to catch and keep a couple of fat trout, which are cleaned and bagged by volunteers. The fish come from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) hatcheries and Troutlodge, Inc. Volunteers are on hand to help bait hooks, untangle lines, land fish and provide instruction on various fishing skills, from fish identification and knot-tying to angler ethics and water safety.

The Clear Lake event is one of a series of annual "Fishing Kids" events that runs through mid-June in communities across the state, sponsored by WDFW and the C.A.S.T. (Catch A Special Thrill) for Kids Foundation. Its local co-sponsors include Avista Utilities, Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Spokane County, Eagle Claw, Fairchild Air Force Base, Inland Empire Bass Club, Inland Empire Fly Fishing Club, Inland Northwest Wildlife Council, Kalispel Tribe of Indians, Spokane Walleye Club, Trout Unlimited, Washington State BASS Federation, and Washington State University Cooperative Extension.