Kids' Fishing Derby 2025

Kids’ Fishing Derby 2025 – May 24th at 7am

Looking east at the upper pond. Lots of fish rising in the evenings.

The Boulder Fish and Game Club is proud to once again host the annual Kids’ Fishing Derby at the Evert Pierson Kids’ Fishing Ponds in Boulder on Saturday, May 24, 2025.

This is a free event for kids 12 and under. Fishing starts at 7:00 am and goes until 10:00 am.

The ponds will be stocked with Rainbow and Cuttbow Trout by the Boulder Fish and Game Club and Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

We’ll have free bait and rods available to borrow (or bring your own if you prefer). Volunteers will be on site to help with rigging, baiting, and releasing fish.

There will be prizes for the biggest fish, and we’ll be doing a prize giveaway—be sure to stop by the check-in table to get your giveaway ticket when you arrive.

Parking is available in the Justice Center lot next to the ponds.

Suggested Gear (if bringing your own):

• A Zebco-type rod/reel combo

• Size 12–16 trout hooks

• Swivel snap

• Bobber

• 1” PowerBait trout worms

Tip: Set the bait 18” below the bobber. The deepest water is in the center of the pond where the fish tend to gather.

Catch & Release

Kids are welcome to keep their catch (within CPW regulations), but catch and release is encouraged. Please consider using barbless hooks or pinching down the barbs to make release easier—volunteers can help with this too.

Support the Club

We’ll have membership cards available for a $5 donation at the check-in table. This year’s card comes with a Boulder Fish & Game Club sticker—great for a water bottle or tackle box. Larger donations are always appreciated and help us continue events like this.

Prize Donations Welcome

We aim to send kids home with gear they can use all summer. If you or your company would like to donate fishing-related prizes (~$10–$15 value), please contact us.

See you at the ponds!

Club News Second Half of 2024

Hello Everybody. Sorry for the delay, but here is a recap of all the goings on with the Fish and Game Club for second half of 2024.

The kids’ ponds were incredibly clear this fall. You could easily see the fish cruising around in the ponds.

Another Thank you for the Kids derby

We just want to send another thank you to all those who helped out with the kids fishing derby this year. It’s always such an amazing event and we cannot do it without the support of our community and our supporters. Please check out our supporters page to see all the local businesses and organizations who help us make this event happen.

High Lake Stocking

In July, we were able to help our friends at Colorado Parks and Wildlife with our first high-lake stocking since 2018. We assisted CPW in backpacking Tiger Trout into Indian Peaks Wilderness from the Hessie Trailhead. In about 3 years time, Lost Lake will be an excellent Tiger Trout fishery in addition to being an incredibly scenic place to get a line wet.

Underwater view of one of the bags of Tiger Trout being released into Lost Lake.

New Fish at the farm

The farm once again passed our bio test and the new fish were delivered in late summer. We received 2000 new Rainbow Trout who settled in well. We also have about 50 fish we’re holding over to make sure there’s some big inhabitants of the kids’ ponds this coming year.

Illness at the farm

Sadly illness has occurred in the fish at the farm. We believe we’ve figured out what it was and it has since run its course, but it took it’s toll on the fish. This is sadly a part of the rearing process and happens sometimes. We’re working to make the farm more resilient in years to come. As always the best way to help is donate volunteer time or money to Boulder Fish and Game.

An end of the year thank you

The Board at Boulder Fish and Game Club would like to thank all our supporters, volunteers, and everyone who helps us continue this amazing piece of the Boulder community for over 115 years now. We have some fun things coming up next year, so keep an eye on the site in the coming months!

Club News Spring 2024

Happy Summer Everyone! A busy summer at the club has led to a late release of the spring news for the club. But here is our updates for Spring 2024:

A friend was fishing the ponds when we stocked them for the derby and joined in the stocking. It was great that he was able to help out!

Kids Fishing derby 2024

Thank you to all who came out for the derby and those who helped and contributed in so many ways. The derby was like most before it: lots of fish caught, first time fishers, lots of fun was had. The winning fish came in at 18.5”, a fantastic catch in the Boulder Creek system. We were thrilled that the community also stepped up in prize donations and helping and teaching the participants about fishing. We can’t wait until next year!

New Membership Cards

While mentioned in the previous post about the derby, membership cards have been a way for the club to raise funds to cover our daily expenses with the fish farm. We hope to expand soon into new activities as well. With this, we decided it was time for an update to the heavy-stock paper membership cards with our new design (see below). As mentioned earlier, purchasing these cards is like making an investment in the local fishing community. Through these donations we’re able to continue making the kids’ ponds a fantastic place for kids to fish among other activities and causes pertaining to fishing in Boulder County.

The cards themselves are a nice matte finish with the logo being a sticker. A good addition for the back window of a car or the top of a laptop. They’re produced by the local sticker company, StickerGiant and we can’t thank them enough for their work on making these a reality.

If you would like to support the club and purchase one, please drop us an email through the contact us page (under “Help Out”) and we’ll get one to you. We ask for a $5 donation for each card. We hope to streamline this process a bit in the future. Of course larger donations are always welcome as well. Feel free to reach out if you would like to discuss some of the larger fundraising opportunities we have going at the moment.

As mentioned above, it’s been a very busy summer for the club. Check back at the end of September for all the updates. Like always, we continue to thank you all for letting us be a part of the Boulder community for over 100 years!

Kids' Fishing Derby 2024 - May 25th at 7am

The Kids’ Fishing Derby is once again coming back to the Evert Pierson Fishing Ponds on May 25th starting at 7am.

Evert Pierson Kids’ Fishing Ponds, ready for the Kids’ fishing derby 2024

Details

The Derby starts at 7am on Saturday May 25th and is open to all kids 12 and under. Fishing will happen from 7am to 10am.

For those who haven’t attended the derby in years past. It’s open to any kids eligible to fish the ponds (12 and under). You’ll be fishing for Rainbow and Cuttbow Trout stocked in the ponds by both the Boulder Fish and Game Club and Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Bait and Rods are available and provided, but you can bring your own as well! Additionally, club members and volunteers will be walking around helping out. There will be prizes for the big fish at the end as well as a give-away with some great prizes. So be sure to stop by the sign-in table when you first arrive to get your give-away ticket. Parking is plentiful in the Boulder Justice Center parking lot which is right next to the ponds.

While catch and release is encouraged, you are more than welcome to take the fish home per CPW regulations. We do recommend using barb-less hooks or hooks with the barbs bent down. It means sometimes the fish will come off easier when reeling them in, but makes it worth while when it comes to pulling the hook out of the fish or (hopefully not) someone who has gotten hooked. If you don’t know how to bend down the barbs, volunteers will be able to help out, so just ask.

How to Fish the Ponds

For those looking to bring their own equipment but don’t know where to start: the recommended setup is a Zebco Rod and Reel combo with Trout Hooks, Swivel Snaps, Bobbers, and Power Bait Worms (the 1” ones that come in a jar). This is a fairly successful outfit that comes in at around $30-$40. An Amazon Wishlist can be found here, however most of this list is available from local stores as well (Amazon just has great photos for reference).

We recommend trout sized hooks (Size 12-16) and putting the hooks at least a foot and a half under the bobber. The ponds are good and deep near the center of the ponds and that’s where the fish like to hang out. Paying close attention to the bobber is always recommended. It usually makes for a more successful time fishing and an easier time removing the hooks. Both ponds hold a good amount of fish, so if you’re not having luck at the one pond, try moving to the other.

Membership Cards

The Boulder Fish and Game Club is able to put on events like this and afford the day to day costs associated with running the fish farm thanks to donations from the community. One of the easiest ways is to buy a membership card. This year the cards are a little different from years past. They’ll be available for a $5 donation at the check-in table (and leading up to the event, use the contact us form if you’d like to purchase one). This year they feature a sticker with the Boulder Fish and Game Club logo. Perfect for the rear hatch of your car or water bottle. As always, we do accept and appreciate larger donations. The “help out” page has more information on how to do so.

Prize Donations

We do our best to make sure the kids get to go home with prizes to help them out fishing through the rest of the summer and beyond. While we try to reach out to local companies as much as possible, we have limited time. If you or someone you know have a company or wish to donate on your own, we’re always open to prize donations. Use the contact us form if you would like to donate. We look for prizes between $10-$15 dollars in value and while open to most prizes, we like if they pertain to fishing.

We pulled all sorts of trash out of the ponds in preparation for the derby. This thing will no longer steal lures at the bottom of the upper pond.

Looking forward to seeing everyone out there!

Club News Winter 2023-2024

Hope your winter was full of fly tying, ice fishing, or just resting up for the warmer weather ahead. Here’s the club news for winter ‘23-’24.

Trout holding in the lower kids’ pond. How many trout do you think are in this photo? It’s a lot!

Carnegie Library Digitization work

The Boulder branch of the Carnegie Library was able to digitize a number of videos donated to the Library from the club. We believe most were taken and narrated by the club president at the time, Donald Cieber. The videos range from the 50s into the 60s and potentially the 70s. The films feature stocking operations in Indian Peaks Wilderness, James Peak Wilderness, and South Boulder Creek. There’s also a video of an event where the club co-hosted veterans from the Lowry Air Force Base hospital. Please head over to their digital archives page to check them out.

Business as Usual at the fish Farm and the ponds

The fish have been happy and healthy at the farm and are looking to provide a good year’s stocking for the kids’ ponds. We’ll begin the stocking season right before the kids’ fishing derby in May. The neighboring apartment building redid their parking lot and did a fantastic job of keeping the drainage from the pond that runs under the lot intact and in some cases improved upon it. We thank them for being great neighbors and always supporting the farm.

The kids’ ponds have had a fantastic number of big trout that made it through the winter. Now through the end of April is a great time to be fishing the ponds. The fish are hungry and weather is perfect for fishing.

Kids’ Fishing Derby is Back Again

We have the kids’ fishing derby on the schedule for this year. It will be on May 25th at 7am. Keep an eye on the website for more details to come!

Club News Fall 2023

Apologies for the tardiness on this post, it was a busy end of the fall. Here’s your club news for Fall 2023.

Fish Rescue

Those who have followed the club for a longer time will remember we were asked to participate in a fish rescue a number of years ago. We recently decided we have the equipment and volunteers to keep it going as there’s a yearly need. Fish are able to make their way into the agriculture ditches that divert water from place such as Boulder Creek. Usually these ditches are closed off in the winter as the need for the water is not there. Unfortunately this traps fish from time to time. We were able to address the fish that get caught behind the gates in Boulder Central Park and return them to Boulder Creek. An unfortunately (but maybe fortunate, we always need the water) snowstorm right before the rescue hampered our rescue efforts, putting more water into the ditch and leaving a layer of ice. We were able to rescue two very healthy browns, but the rest got too difficult.

While it wasn’t the success we had during the first fish rescue, it was a success in letting the community know we’re ready and willing to help out with fish rescues like this in the future. We want to give a special thanks to Boulder Parks and Colorado Parks and Wildlife who worked to put everything in place to make this happen. And an extra special thank you to those who got the word out and the volunteers who came out to help. Over 50% of those who helped were first time volunteers with our group. Thank you for braving the cold and hopefully seeing this author fall in and christen the inside of his brand new waders with some extra cold Boulder Creek water made the event a little more worth it.

Be sure to cycle through the images above from the event.

A fisherman’s Paradise

Our caretaker recently found his copy of a very well written history of the Boulder Fish and Game Club called “A Fisherman’s Paradise”. The history was written by a wonderful member of our community by the name of Ella Travis. You can find more of her work and contributions at the Carnegie Library here in town. The book goes over the history of our club. From it’s beginnings as an arm of the chamber of commerce, to the origins of the fish farm and history of the property, to the many activities and events put on by the club. Did you know the Boulder Gun Club used to be part of the Fish and Game Club? In addition, there’s great information about early conservation efforts done by the club including working with local mines to utilize settling ponds for their mine tailings rather than allowing them to flow directly into creeks. We’re hoping to get a digital copy of the book available on the website soon.

BUSINESS AS USUAL

Everything at the farm has been business as usual. The new round of fish have taken well to the runs at the farm and we’re seeing minimal losses. We’re hoping for a great round of fish for the derby in May and to stock throughout the summer.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for checking in with the club. We’re always looking for new volunteers, so if you’re interested in helping out, click the HELP OUT button in the upper right corner which will tell you how.

Fish Rescue - December 10th, 2023

Every year the agriculture ditch that branches off of Boulder Creek at Boulder Central Park is turned off for the winter. Unfortunately it results in some fish getting caught on the wrong side of the gates and facing receding water. We’ve been given permission to rescue these fish and get them back into Boulder Creek. A quick visual inspection on Thursday found at least 30 fish holding in that water (which means there’s likely more).

On December 10th at 10am, we’ll be meeting at the head gates in Boulder Central Park. We welcome volunteers who wish to help out and have the ability to. We will be netting the fish in the ditch and moving them a small distance over to Boulder Creek in buckets. The water is in a spot with concrete walls on each side, so the water is only accessible through wading. So bring your waders, base layers, and a net (gloves and warm hat would be wise as well). We’ll do our best to rescue the fish we’re able to but due to the cold, it will likely only be 2-3 hours that we’re out there.

If you have any additional questions or clarification, please reach out through the contact us form.

Club News Summer 2023

It’s been a while since we’ve given regular updates. But here’s all we’ve been up to over the summer:

The latest batch of fish courtesy of Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

New Fish

Our batch of fish have arrived thanks to the help of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. This year they moved us back to Cuttbows after a few years of pure Rainbows. Specifically they’re a Hofer Rainbow-Snake River Cutthroat hybrid. We received a delivery of 2500 of them in mid-September. They come to us when they’re between 3 and 6 inches long.

Logo

We were able to get a logo we’ve used to for some time into a clean, digital format. This will help us a lot in getting new materials and hopefully some stickers, hats, and t-shirts available soon.

Stocked Fish

Between an early loss of some of the fish and a new strain of Rainbow Trout that CPW is providing us with. The fish got really big this year. We made the decision to stock them all out into the ponds with the last batch of 107 Trout being stocked in mid-August. It’s a great time to hit the kids ponds for some late summer, early fall fishing.

Inlet Pipe improvements

For those unaware, the water used at the farm is fed from collection lines and Crystal Spring via a pipe running under Lincoln Street and into the farm. The pipe then spans across the runs with holes delivering water to each run. The concrete supports have started crumbling and put the pipe at the farm into a bad angle for delivering water to the end runs. We were able to get new pipe stands that are adjustable making for a much better way of managing the water flow into the runs.

Here’s a bonus video of the newest residents of the farm. Have a wonderful fall everyone!

Kids Fishing Derby 2023

We’ve recently gotten our classic logo digitized and we’re very proud of it.

The Kids’ fishing derby will once again be happening the Saturday before Memorial Day (the 27th of May) at 7am until 10am at the Evert Pierson Kids’ Fishing Ponds. The ponds have a healthy population of hold-over fish this year and there will be a stocking ahead of the derby. This year’s fish have been making good use of the food we give them and are very big. So make sure you’re knots are top-tier.

For those who haven’t attended the derby in years past. It’s open to any kids eligible to fish the ponds (12 and under). Bait and Rods are available and provided, but you can bring your own as well! Additionally, club members and volunteers will be walking around helping out. There will be prizes for the big fish at the end as well as a give-away with some great prizes. So be sure to stop by the sign-in table when you first arrive to get your give-away ticket. Parking is plentiful in the Boulder Justice Center parking lot which is right next to the ponds.

While catch and release is encouraged, you are more than welcome to take the fish home per CPW regulations. We do recommend using barb-less hooks or hooks with the barbs bent down. It means sometimes the fish will come off easier when reeling them in, but makes it worth while when it comes to pulling the hook out of the fish or (hopefully not) someone who has gotten hooked. If you don’t know how to bend down the barbs, volunteers will be able to help out, so just ask.

For those looking to bring their own equipment but don’t know where to start: the recommended setup is a Zebco Rod and Reel combo with Trout Hooks, Swivel Snaps, Bobbers, and Power Bait Worms (the 1” ones that come in a jar). This is a fairly successful outfit that comes in at around $30-$40. An Amazon Wishlist can be found here, however most of this list is available from local stores as well (Amazon just has great photos for reference).

If you have any additional questions or wish to help out (prize donations are always welcome as well). Feel free to reach out via the contact us form under “Help Out” at the top. Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Kids Fishing Derby 2022

Kids Fishing Derby 2022 - May 28th at 7:00AM

The kids’ fishing derby is back again on May 28th at the Evert Pierson Kids’ Fishing Ponds. There will be poles provided by Parks and Wildlife and lots of prizes. Fishing kicks off at 7:00am and goes until 10:00am when the prizes will be handed out.

Though rods, bait, and tackle are provided, you’re more than welcome to bring your own. We ask if possible that the barbs be bent down on hooks to make for a better time for the fish (and easier work for us parents). We recommend bringing eye protection and sunscreen as well. We’ll have club members and volunteers walking around to help out should you have any questions. Bait is provided, but we recommend simple lures, worms, or Powerbait if you would like to bring your own.

Fishing will start at 7am with prizes being offered for the first fish caught at the top of each hour (7, 8, 9). A largest fish contest will be happening as well throughout the whole event. At 10 am, there will be a raffle for the remaining prizes.

We’ll be selling supporter tickets as well at the event, a great and inexpensive way to support the work we do ($1 per ticket).

We look forward to seeing everyone there. Any questions, feel free to reach out to us in the