Participants at the Dayton Take Kids Fishing Day enjoyed fishing from a dock installed by union volunteers in 2017 to help improve public access and amenities at Lakeside Lake.
Local Union Members Help Dayton Youths Catch First Fish at Lakeside Lake
By Kate Nation
DAYTON, Ohio—More than 50 families spent the morning of Saturday, May 17 fishing at Lakeside Lake in Dayton, Ohio, as part of the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance’s (USA) annual Dayton Area Take Kids Fishing Day.
A team effort by the Union Sportsman’s Alliance (USA) and Ohio AFL-CIO, the event aimed to unite the local community and introduce the next generation of anglers and conservationists to the joys of fishing.
After a rainy day of fishing in 2024 and 2023, the weather for this year’s event was perfect, according to Dayton AFL-CIO Executive Secretary Diane Walsh.
Many youths at the Dayton Take Kids Fishing Day caught their first fish, and all registered youths went home with new fishing rods and reels.
Many of the participating kids were fishing for the first time. Union volunteers representing Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) Local 162, Industrial Division of the Communication Workers (IUE-CWA) Local 755, Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 98, Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 75, and Steelworkers (USW) Local 5541, were on hand to help kids put worms on hooks, cast lines, and land fish.
While some families fished from the banks, the most popular place to fish was from the metal fishing dock installed by union volunteers in 2017 through efforts by the USA and Ohio AFL-CIO, along with other organizations and partners, to improve public access and amenities at Lakeside Lake. According to Walsh, the dock allowed anglers to cast past the lily pads along the edge of the lake.
“We stocked the lake with hybrid bluegill. They were all about six inches, and you would have thought the kids won the lottery when they caught them,” Walsh said. “It makes your heart feel good. One little girl was screaming so loudly when she caught a fish, you almost thought she was hurt.”
All participating youths received a free fishing rod and reel to take home, and members of the local fire department stopped by to pass out hats to the kids. Local police officers walked around as well.
Both kids and adults capped off the morning of fishing with burgers and hotdogs.
“It was really a nice community day, and people were asking when the next event would be,” Walsh said.
Union volunteers helped youths bait their hooks as well as cast and land fish at the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance Dayton Take Kids Fishing Day.
The Dayton event was part of a series of free, community-based Take Kids Fishing Day events, organized through the USA’s Work Boots on the Ground program, which unites union members to volunteer their time to projects and events that help improve public access to and opportunities in the outdoors.
