Will Bryant, 4, of South Portland, caught this trout on the Upper Androscoggin River.

Families will fish free during angling festival

NEWRY – The Upper Andro Anglers Alliance, in cooperation with Trout Unlimited, will host a free family fishing festival from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 30, at the Grand Summit Hotel Pond at Sunday River Ski Resort. It will be held rain or shine. Free casting workshops and fly-tying instruction will be available throughout the day.

Members of the Mollyockett Chapter of Trout Unlimited will teach the workshops. Instruction will follow the curriculum developed by Trout Unlimited’s First Cast for Kids program.

Instruction will include spin casting and fly casting for older youth and parents. Maine’s Hooked on Fishing-Not on Drugs Program will supply complimentary rods and reels for use at the festival.

Families can practice newly learned casting skills in the Grand Summit Pond and are welcome to take home their catch. The pond will be stocked with trout courtesy of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Each young angler will receive a mini-tackle box with bobber, sinkers and hook courtesy of the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance..

Kids can learn how to tie flies with materials provided by TU and fibers from Sunday River Alpacas. Children will be able to take home their hand-tied flies.

Families participating will be eligible for door prizes from local outfitters and businesses.

The weekend of May 30 and 31 is a free fishing weekend in Maine. Resident and nonresident freshwater fishing licenses will be waived those days.

The Family Fishing Festival is one many nationwide events that provide families with an opportunity to have fun on the water. The events are promoted by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (www.rbff.org).

For more information, contact the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance at 824-3694, [email protected] or www.upperandro.com.