The girls--Chelsea Wong, Serena Wong and Tiffany Lee--were just a few of the more than 100 children who came with their parents to participate in the ninth annual Free Fishing Day on March 20 at Vasona Lake County Park in Los Gatos. The event was sponsored by the Los Gatos Rotary and South Bay Fishing in the City. South Bay Fishing in the City creates opportunities for fishing, outdoor recreation and aquatic education for children and their families.

Young participants from less privileged areas joined children from local neighborhoods for the event. Each child was given the use of a fishing pole, a tackle box they got to keep and a string of three fish per child that could be taken home for dinner.

"We even clean and bag the fish for them," said volunteer Charlie Gee. "It gets them interested in a sport that you can participate in anywhere there's water; plus it gets the parents out with their kids and involved in the sport. This is such an awesome program."

The sponsors had more than 1,000 pounds of fish from a local hatchery planted in the lake to make the fun happen a lot sooner. Many of the volunteers who staffed the event from the Los Gatos Rotary and South Bay Fishing in the City were sport fishermen, while others were just interested in being involved in the community.

"I love kids," said Los Gatos Rotary volunteer Avis LaGrone. "When you're old, it makes you feel much younger to be with them."

Rick Raich, a Rotarian volunteer who helped organize the event, said when the youngsters arrived they couldn't just start fishing. They were required to visit a variety of stations where they learned about topics like tying basic knots, rigging, and casting, watershed and the environment, and fishing safety and etiquette.

"It's good if you've never been fishing before," said Mark Rayner, a South Bay Fishing in the City quartermaster and San Jose park ranger. "This is a great opportunity for kids and their parents to learn about fishing."

The event was also staffed by Los Gatos and Saratoga high school volunteers from service organizations such as the California Scholarship Federation and the Interact Club.

"It's fun to teach little kids to fish and maybe to learn how to fish yourself," said Saratoga junior Jenny Chang, a CSF member.

Chia Lee, Tiffany's mother, said she was impressed with how well the stations were set up for the children.

"It's a wonderful educational opportunity for the girls to learn," she said. "They've never had a formal education like this before about fishing."