Get Out and Fish! Welcomes Community Fishing Site in Northern Louisiana

On Saturday, May 5 the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the City of Ruston partnered to host a Get Out and Fish! event at the program’s newest site, Elmore D. Mayfield Park in Ruston. Thanks to the generous support of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation, the pond was stocked with 1,000 pounds of adult-size channel catfish prior to the event. Over 120 participants took advantage of the day’s free fishing activities and competition.

Little Angler            
1: Kaden Smith; 3.16 pounds 
2: JR Robinson; 2.34 pounds
3: Dre Jones; 1.93 pounds

Junior Angler           
1: Jakeim Owen Davis; 2.35 pounds 
2: Steven Brown; 2.27 pounds
3: Shane Rowe; 2.22 pounds

Adult Angler              
1: Calvin Richardson; 2.26 pounds 
2: Robert Davis Sr.; 2.23 pounds
3: Rodney Temple; 2.22 pounds

Little Angler            
1: Izabell Smith

Junior Angler           
1: Shane Rowe 
2: Greg Davis
3: Zaniya Gaines

Adult Angler            
1: Lajoy Graves 
2: Nevada Stringfellow
3: Robert Davis

 The Louisiana Tech University Bass Fishing Team provided volunteers to assist with staffing and fishing education.

This event was made possible through generous donations from our sponsors including: Celebrity Theatres, Chili’s Grill and Bar, Little Caesar’s, DQ Grill and Chill, Dawg House Sports Grill, Utility Brewing, Jimmy John’s, Rosemary’s Kitchen, and Louisiana Fish Fry. Lunch was provided by Grown and Grazed.

Opportunities to catch a stocked channel catfish at Elmore D. Mayfield Park are still plentiful, so grab your fishing gear and try your luck. For information about future stockings and directions to all of our community fishing sites, visit www.wlf.la.gov/get-out-and-fish-1or follow us on Facebook @ldwfgetoutandfish.

The Get Out and Fish! Program, with support from the Sportfish Restoration Program , seeks to increase the number of people with access to quality fishing and to promote outdoor activities for future generations. In order to accomplish this mission, public water bodies that meet the required specifications are chosen by LDWF biologists to join the Get Out and Fish! Community Fishing Program. These community fishing sites are stocked in the spring and fall with adult-size channel catfish and in the winter with rainbow trout if weather permits.  

LDWF’s Get Out and Fish! is hosted in conjunction with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation. The LAWFF was formed to provide a means for individuals and corporations to become partners with the Department and Commission in the challenge of conserving Louisiana’s wildlife and fisheries resources. 

For more information on the Get Out and Fish! program, contact Megan MacMenamin at mmacmenamin@wlf.la.gov or 225-765-2375.