IRON MOUNTAIN — A new event will be held Saturday at Lake Antoine Park.

Free Family Fishing Fun starts at 10 a.m. with a Dickinson County Library program at the Wifi Cafe at the park and ends with the movie “Finding Nemo” at dusk at the community bandshell.

But at noon, Pavilion 2 will be the site of a 1,500-gallon mobile fishing pond filled by Watersmeet Trout Hatchery with 150 rainbow trout 12-14 inches long.

Lake Antoine Park Partners, created by the county board in the mid-2010s, has been listening to visitors to the local park and campground to hear what improvements the organization should consider. The primary comment was wanting more things for youngsters and teens to do.

“While the toddler playground at the beach is very popular and the volleyball courts and basketball hoops are well used, people wanted even more,” said LAPP Vice President Doni-Mae B. Rauch. “It is why within the last couple years we started a program with Nancy deKoster and Dickinson County library to have a Saturday morning program at the Wifi Cafe we built on the north side of the park office, free Saturday evening movies for youth at dusk, and the Fall Fest of activities began.”

“The events not only provide a wonderful place for recreation, its visitors also support the local economy,” said Eli Ward, president and general manager of Northern RV Center in Quinnesec.

His wife, Niki, nodded her head when talking about the Fall Fest chaired in 2021 by Allison Lucier, “Our daughters had a wonderful time there.”

Lake Antoine Park Partners heard about the potential for this new fishing event after Rauch went to visit Northern RV friend Paul Moon at a recreation show last winter in the Superior Dome in Marquette and saw Watersmeet Trout Hatchery had a mobile fishing pond for youth there.

The board approved looking into having the event in August and when Ward heard Aug. 13 was chosen because it is the final day of library reading at Wifi Cafe at 10 a.m., he was quick to offer to sponsor not only the fishing pond event at noon, but the evening movie of “Finding Nemo” as well.

“The activities at the park bring the community together and help promote what the park has to offer,” Ward said

This first-ever event is designed for children ages 5-12 with an adult to help them learn or practice their fishing skills. Breitung Township Fire Department will fill the set-up mobile pond with approximately 1,500 gallons of local water for 150 rainbow trout measuring 12 to 14 inches.

The pond under Pavilion 2 will be waiting for young anglers, accompanied by an adult, to sign up to get handed a fishing pole and bait starting at noon. No license needed for children ages 5-12. A whistle will be blown to start the fishing period of 4 minutes for the first 10 anglers.

“When the child catches a fish, the adult can remove it from the hook for it to be placed in a bag to be taken to their home or back to their campsite,” said Rauch. “The park has no fish cleaning facilities at the pavilion; going to the shore to clean them will not be allowed by administration.”

If a child catches a fish within their 4-minute time period, they can continue fishing until the whistle blows to end that session for poles to be returned. Groups of 10 will fish until all 150 fish are caught.

“It may not take long for all fish to be caught, bagged and taken home,” said hatchery owner Dino Giannola. “We look forward to seeing folks in Iron Mountain come out for fishing fun.”