Special Kids' Fishing Derby this weekend at Merwin Fish Hatchery

WOODLAND - A hundred children from hospitals in the area will catch some thrills at the second annual Special Kids' Fishing Derby scheduled this weekend at one of the Northwest's wheelchair-accessible fish hatcheries.

Young patients from Doernbecher Children's Hospital, Shriners Hospital for Children, Emanuel Legacy and Kaiser Kids, all in the Vancouver-Portland area, will gather for fishing and fun, beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday (July 29), at the Merwin Fish Hatchery, 111 Merwin Hatchery Court, in Ariel. There's a limit of 15 fish per child. Each child will get one-on-one coaching from volunteers representing the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Southwest Washington Anglers, Pacific Power, Fish First and the community. Clowns and a magician will be on hand, and lunch is provided, as well as prizes for all the participants.

"We're doubling the number of kids participating this year, because they had such a blast last time," said Patrick Phillips, hatchery supervisor. "We've got some 6,000 two- to six-pound rainbow trout and steelhead fattening up in two hatchery ponds, so we expect the kids to have quite an enjoyable experience reeling them in."

To get to the hatchery, take I-5 to the Woodland/Cougar exit. Travel east on State Route 503 for 10 miles. Turn right at the Merwin Dam/Pacific Power sign. Go a half-mile down the hill, and follow the signs into the hatchery.