As part of the Get Out and Fish! community fishing program, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is stocking our community fishing sites this month with adult-sized channel catfish. Grab your fishing gear, and bring your friends and family to one of the following locations: Girard Park in Lafayette, Zemurray Park in Hammond, BREC's Burbank Park in Baton Rouge, Kiroli Park in West Monroe, Turner's Pond in Minden and William T. Polk Park in Vidalia to take advantage of this opportunity to catch some sizable catfish.

We've also added two additional community fishing sites to the program – Purple Heart Memorial Park in Ragley and Grambling City Park in Grambling. In honor of the program expansion, the department will host kick-off events at both sites on Oct. 21 in Ragley and Nov. 4 in Grambling. The ponds will be stocked with adult-size channel catfish prior to the event. Event activities include a fishing competition, open to all ages, as well as educational aquatic activities.

Participants 16 and older must possess a valid Louisiana fishing license. To purchase a fishing license online, visit https://www.la.wildlifelicense.com .

For more information about future fish stockings and the Get Out and Fish! program or to pre-register for one of our upcoming events, visit www.wlf.la.gov/get-out-and-fish-1 .

The Get Out and Fish! program seeks to increase the number of people with access to quality fishing, to recruit new anglers to the sport of fishing and to promote outdoor activities for future generations.

This event is hosted in conjunction with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation. The LWFF was formed to provide a means for individuals and corporations to become partners with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission in the challenge of conserving Louisiana's wildlife and fish resources.

For more information, contact Megan MacMenamin at mmacmenamin@wlf.la.gov or (225) 765-2375.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana's abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.la.gov. To receive email alerts, signup at http://www.wlf.la.gov/signup.