Family Fishing Days
FFS hosts monthly events (March through November) that provide families the opportunity to fish together in a safe and fun setting in our 6 “catching ponds” on the grounds of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. Anglers can expect to catch bream (bluegill, red-ear sunfish, warmouth), largemouth bass, and channel catfish up to 10 lbs. Family Fishing Days are free, open to the public, and catch-and-release. Volunteers are on hand to help. We encourage folks with little or no fishing experience to attend. Our volunteers enjoy showing novices the ropes.
Family Fishing Day are held once each month at the UF/IFAS fishing ponds. As always, all family members, including those with disabilities, are encouraged to participate! We offer a railed fishing deck, with two handicapped accessible ramps for those with disabilities who enjoy the thrill of fresh water fishing! Come for a morning of fun, family-oriented, fresh-water fishing. We have loaner poles and bait (cut up hotdogs and beef liver) available, but everyone is welcome to bring their own equipment and bait.
In an effort to support our program, we are collecting aluminum cans and used printer toner cartridges for recycling. If you could save and bring your cans and used cartridges, we would greatly appreciate it!
DIRECTIONS: We are located in Northwest Gainesville, about 2 miles west of Devil’s Millhopper State Geologic Site. Heading west on Millhopper Rd., take a right onto NW 71st Street. Go through the gate, and continue until the pavement ends at a long, white building. The ponds will be to your right. There’s plenty of paved parking!
Our physical address is:
7922 NW 71st Street
Gainesville, FL 32653
No need to RSVP for events unless your group has more than 10 people. If so, please email c.hartman@ufl.edu with your name and how many adults and children will be attending. We respectfully ask that you leave your pets at home for all events.
Fishing For Success
2018 Family Fishing Days Schedule
All events are free and open to the general public
Fishing is from 8am till noon
No need to RSVP for events, unless your group has more than 10 people.
If so, please email c.hartman@ufl.edu
| March 3 | Family Fishing Day Kick Off! Law Enforcement Appreciation Day |
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| March 31 | Family Fishing Day Easter Egg Hunt |
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| April | NO Family Fishing Day Fishing Facilities being updated |
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| May 12 | Mother’s Family Fishing Day | |
| June 16 | Father’s Family Fishing Day | |
| July 14 | Family Fishing Day Melt-Your-Popsicle Day |
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| August 18 | Family Fishing Day Back to School Bonanza |
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| September 15 | Family Fishing Day Aquatic Education Day |
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| October 13 | Family Fishing Day Spooky Candy Day |
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| November 10 | Final Family Fishing Day Veteran’s Day and Sharon Fitz-Coy Memorial |
If dates change for any reason, a notice will be emailed to those on the Fishing For Success email list-serve. If you would like to be added to this list-serve, please email c.hartman@ufl.edu, indicating your preferred email address. Click here to access the 2018 calendar as a PDF file
Our physical address is 7922 NW 71st Street Gainesville FL 32653