Courtesy photos Several young anglers gathered on Saturday at Saddlebrook Lake on Wolf Creek Pass to participate in the South Fork Kiwanis Youth Fishing Clinic. South Fork Kiwanis took over the annual event and partnered with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to keep the event going.

SOUTH FORK — The South Fork Kiwanis Youth Fishing Clinic was a fun learning experience at Saddlebrook Lake on Saturday. Year after year children try their luck at catching fish and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is there to answer questions, help gut the fish and teach some basic rules and regulations to the young anglers.

“This year, the event was held at Saddlebrook Lake, and we thank the landowners for letting us use their private lake where every child was able to catch their fish,” organizers stated. “There is nothing like the squeals and giggles of children when they had a fish on their line.”

CPW sets up stations and breaks participating children into groups to learn about fishing, the type of aquatic life in the area, how to bait and cast a fishing pole and much more. Each station was hands-on and geared toward educating children on the basics of catching fish and what to do once it has been caught.

Each child can go home with a fishing pole if they do not already have one thanks to the donations from CPW and the South Fork Visitor Center. There was also a drawing for a tackle box or other fishing gear.

The Kiwanis Club of South Fork was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time to take on this event and continue to make it an annual event going forward.

“We couldn’t have done it without the help of so many volunteers to help us with our hot dog lunch complete with brownies. We had perfect weather, and everybody had a great time,” said Kiwanis President Karen Miller.