Hooked on fun at Kirtland fish pond

 
By REBECCA MacFARLANE

Nothing beats that feel of a fish nibbling at the end of the line, and for many kids that wonderful experience happens repeatedly at the well-stocked pond during the annual Kirtland’s Warbler Festival.

All day long around the pond, squeals of joy and laughter can be heard as children reel in their first-ever fish.

This is another KWF tradition that owes itself to a combination of efforts from a variety of agencies and volunteers. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources gathers up the fish from local lakes and rivers and Dave Smith (need where he works) makes sure they get to the Kirtland campus a few days before the festival.

Northeast Michigan Sportsmen Club of Mio provides a great deal of services for this popular event, They raise money to buy things like poles and baits. The poles will be recycled until more are needed.

Ben and Joyce Marquart lead a group of volunteers who work tirelessly baiting hooks, untangling lines and sometimes stringing fish. Two years ago, one youngster took home a mess of nice-sized bluegills he planned to feed his family.

It’s a long, fun day on the water for everybody.

“Untangling lines and keeping hooks out of people are hard to do,” Smith said. “But the kids really enjoy it.”

Among the variety of fish likely to pull a bobber beneath the surface: yellow perch, rock and large mouth bass, pumpkinseed sunfish and plenty of always hungry bluegill. There’s even rumored to be a nice sized pike lurking at the deeper end of the pond.

And kids aren’t the only ones who fish at the pond. A few years ago, as birders were signing up to go on the 7 a.m. tour into the jack pine forest in hopes of spotting the Kirtland’s warbler, an eagle circled majestically above the pond, looking for an easy breakfast.

Nothing bets that feel of a fish taking the bait and running. With the help of Dave Smith and the DNR, Kirtland’s pond will be turned into a fishpond for the kids to enjoy a day of fishing at the KWF. After the pond is heavily stocked with fish that the DNR will gather from the local ponds and river for events such as these, the kids will be able to come out and catch fish. The pond is where many kids catch their first fish.