Wet a Hook, Make a Memory

Free Fishing Day is Saturday: grab a pole, dig up some worms, and help children discover the fun of wetting a hook

9:25 a.m. June 5, 2026

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

Around Moore County, fishing is one of those things that gets handed down before anybody thinks to call it a tradition.

Some children learn from a granddad with a tackle box older than they are. Some learn from a parent who can bait a hook without even looking. Some start with a cane pole, a cup of worms, and a bluegill that feels like a whale on the end of the line.

Fishing here also carries a pretty famous thumbprint.

Bill Dance, the world-famous angler and Lynchburg native, learned to fish on the waters of Mulberry Creek. That hometown story still runs through Moore County today, from shady creek banks to nearby Tims Ford Lake, now a Bill Dance Signature Lake.

And Tims Ford is not just pretty water.

The lake is known as a strong smallmouth bass lake, but there are plenty of other fish swimming around in there, too – largemouth and spotted bass, channel and flathead catfish, black and white crappie, walleye, bluegill, redear sunfish, rock bass, warmouth, white and yellow bass, striped bass, and hybrid striped bass. Trout can also be found just below the dam.

In other words, if a child drops a line in the lake, there is no telling what might tug back.

So, if your child has been asking to go fishing, this is the week to say yes.

Tennessee is making it easy to start. Saturday, June 6, is Free Fishing Day, which means families can fish Tennessee’s public waters without buying a license. Even better, children 15 and younger can keep fishing free through Friday, June 12.

The day is formally known as Bobby Wilson Free Fishing Day, named for the longtime Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency leader who retired in 2022 after more than 40 years with the agency. Wilson spent 35 years in TWRA’s Fisheries Division before becoming deputy director in 2015 and executive director in 2020. Free Fishing Day began in 1991, making this year the 35th annual event.

That is about as good an invitation to pick up a pole as summer gives.

Here are five tips for helping children enjoy being on the water and wetting a hook:

1. Keep it simple

Children do not need a tournament boat, a tackle box with 300 mystery lures, or a lecture on water temperature.

They need a pole that fits their hands, a bobber they can see, a hook, a little bait, and an adult willing to untangle line without making a production out of it.

Start small. A simple rod-and-reel setup or cane pole works just fine. Worms, crickets, or a small piece of hot dog can be enough to bring in bluegill, sunfish, or whatever else is nosing around the bank.

Nobody needs to catch a wall-hanger the first time out. Let the win be that first bobber twitch, that first tug, that first wide-eyed look when something under the water pulls back.

Once a child feels a fish pull back, you have their attention.

2. Pick a kid-friendly spot

Not every fishing hole is right for children.

Look for a place with room to stand, safe footing, some shade, and easy access to the water. A quiet bank beats a crowded dock when little ones are still learning how to cast. Mulberry Creek can offer that old-school creek-bank feel, while Tims Ford Lake gives families a bigger-water experience.

A good fishing trip does not have to be fancy. Sometimes it is just a truck parked near a shady bank along Lost Creek, a coffee can full of worms, and somebody saying, “Cast right over there.”

The one thing worth getting serious about is safety.

Bring life jackets when children are near deep water or on a boat. Watch slick rocks. Keep hooks pointed away from people (and bare feet). And remember, kids are curious. If there is mud, they will find it. If there is a frog, they will chase it.

That is part of the fun.

3. Pack snacks like you mean it

Fishing with children is 40% fishing and 60% snack management.

Bring water. Bring crackers. Bring fruit. Bring something that will not melt into a science project in the Tennessee sun.

A hungry child can turn a peaceful morning into a backseat negotiation faster than you can say, “Did you get a bite?”

Also pack sunscreen, hats, bug spray, a towel, and a change of clothes if your child is the kind who might accidentally end up in the lake. In other words, pack for the child you have, not the child you imagined while drinking coffee at 6 a.m.

4. Let the day be about more than fish

Adults can ruin a good fishing trip by caring too much about catching fish.

Children notice everything. They notice minnows flashing near the bank. They notice turtles on logs. They notice dragonflies, clouds, boat wakes, funny rocks, and the way mud makes a perfect squishing sound under their feet.

Let them.

A good fishing trip may include skipping rocks, naming worms, eating snacks, asking 47 questions, and catching one fish the size of a potato chip.

That still counts.

The point is time together. Phones down. Eyes on the water. A child beside you learning patience without anyone calling it patience.

That is the good stuff.

5. Celebrate the little wins

The first cast is a win.

The first baited hook is a win.

The first fish is a big win, even if it looks like it needs a few more summers to grow up.

Take a picture. Cheer a little. Let the child hold the fish if they want to, or help them if they are not quite ready. Teach them how to wet their hands before touching a fish, how to be gentle, and how to release it safely if it is going back in the water.

Fishing teaches children more than how to catch something. It teaches them to wait. To watch. To listen. To try again. To laugh when the line gets wrapped around a tree limb – and that will happen. To understand that some days the fish bite and some days they do not.

That first tug on a line also reaches back to Mulberry Creek and a Lynchburg boy who carried fishing all the way to outdoor television. Bill Dance’s story started that way – with a pole, a creek, and somebody willing to take him fishing. This weekend, another child might start the same way.

So grab a pole. Dig up some worms. Find a shady spot near the water.

The fish may or may not cooperate.

The memory probably will.