Fridley Lake Among Top 50 ‘Mom Approved’

FRIDLEY, MN — Fishing fun for all ages and abilities is close to anyone in the Twin Cities area, where 66 lakes have easy-to-reach piers, family-friendly settings and fishing for bluegill and catfish through the Fishing in the Neighborhood (FiN) program of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

“These lakes are for all ages and are great places for people of all ages to learn how to fish, or really for anyone who wants to relax and wet a line,” said Tim Ohmann, east metro area fisheries specialist. “From a pier, it’s often easy to see fish take your bait – that’s a highlight for a lot of kids.”

A national organization this week gave a nod to one of these waters – East Moore Lake in the north metro suburb of Fridley – which was singled out in a list of the top 50 “Mom Approved Places to Fish and Boat” by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation.

“We’re happy to hear a lake like East Moore is getting some national attention,” Ohmann said. “This helps us show how easy it is to go fishing here, since Moore is one of dozens we have that offer similar experiences for nearly 3 million people.”

For the award, outdoorsy moms in Minnesota were asked to vote on their favorite place to fish and boat based on a list of accessible fishing locations. Now the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation is taking votes to narrow the list down to the top 10.

Anyone can vote here.

The FiN program puts about 25,000 bluegills into the 66 small lakes in the metro area each year. Anglers need not buy expensive tackle or boats to catch bluegills. A cane pole or inexpensive rod and reel set up with a bobber and a worm for bait will do the trick. Panfish also can be caught using crickets, bugs, small leeches, crankbaits, little jigs and by flyfishing.

Image via Minnesota Department of Natural Resources