CATCH AND RELEASE DAY FOR YOUNG ANGLERS AT CAPAHA PARK

More than 100 youngsters turned out Saturday to catch fish at the Capaha Park lagoon.

But whatever they reeled in was measured and thrown right back as part of the Breakfast Optimist Club's Catch and Release Day, sponsored in conjunction with the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department and the Missouri Department of Conservation.

"It's an opportunity first off to have the parents and children do the activity together," said Jerry Keele of the Breakfast Optimist Club. "And it teaches the kids respect for conservation. And it teaches a lot of patience when you don't catch a fish and the excitement when you do."

Blake Smith, 5, visiting from Florissant, won the prize for catching the smallest fish.

"It was a little catfish," he said. Blake said he didn't mind at all having to throw the fish back.

That wasn't the case for Justin Greable, 8, of Cape Girardeau. Justin caught the biggest fish, a catfish measuring 20 1/2 inches, and had to release it.

"I was mad," he said. Justin especially likes fishing for bass.

Brother and sister Matt and Diana Wilke won first and second places, respectively, in the casting contest.

Diana, 11, caught a largemouth bass. Matt, 10, didn't catch anything Saturday.

The Cape Girardeau siblings had a tip for anglers who want to cast as well as they do.

"Use both hands," Matt said.

"It's easier if you use both hands," Diana said. "It'll go farther."

Organizers said 104 children registered for the fishing event, which has been sponsored by the Breakfast Optimist Club for about 20 years.