newsminer.com

The good news is that after a one-year absence due to the lack of decent-sized fish, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has revived its annual Kids’ Fish and Game Fun Day.

The bad news is that the fish that are stocked this year might not be any bigger than last year.

“We don’t know what kind of fish we’re going to get, but we’re going to hold it with whatever we get,” sport fish information officer Nancy Sisinyak said.

The event is scheduled for May 17 at the Department of Fish and Game on College Road.

Kids’ Fish and Game Fun Day, which features all sorts of fun outdoor activities and demonstrations for children and adults alike, attracts 1,500 to 2,000 people each year, depending on the weather.

The department canceled the event last year because officials were worried the fish they would be stocking were too small — only about 6 inches — and children would be disappointed to catch what were the equivalent of minnows.

The fishing pond is the biggest attraction of the day but there will be plenty of other things for children to try if the fishing doesn’t pan out.

One new attraction this year will be the department’s new portable electronic shooting range, a 20-foot tow-behind trailer that was recently donated to the department by the National Wild Turkey Federation. The “turkey trailer,” as it has been dubbed, features a virtual hunting and shooting range.

“If the pond isn’t as successful as past years, at least the hunting range will be there as an attractant,” Sisinyak said.

The turkey trailer made its debut at the Fairbanks outdoors show at the Carlson Center two weeks ago and judging from the lines of people waiting to use it, it was a big hit.

“It was pretty busy,” Sisinyak said.