On Saturday , October 20, the Marianna Outdoorsmen Association stocked 500 Rainbow & Golden Trout on the Daniels Run tributary of 10 Mile Creek for an October 21 fishing derby. When Frodo, the Wonder Dog, & I arrived creekside at 11 AM Sunday it was a chilly 40F morning. He had a great time making new friends while I tried to keep my fingers warm enough to take pix & notes.

The MOA had started clearing the site of high grass , weeds & piles of debris, from previous high water events, on September 22. One short month later they had cleared paths & access to hundreds of yards of stream bank & fishing spots. That was a way ‘ beyond the call of duty’ kind of effort. Thank you folks. And some of the dried out debris ended up as fuel for a big warming, bonfire.

After arriving, I checked in with the organizers. 62 trout had already been caught, registered & released in just the 1st hour of fishing. And 3 more were pulled in the 1st 10-15 minutes I stood stream side.

Whole families were out having fun. In one group it looked like Dad was fishing with a junior sized, or ultralight outfit. As soon as he hooked a fish he handed the rod over to one of the young (pre-school?) children alongside. Now the child had a fishing rig size that they could handle with a fish that was a handful with that tackle. Still, they brought in a couple while I was watching. A great way to learn.

Thanks again to the Marianna Outdoorsmen Association for all they give back to the community.