City of Lamoni

7th Annual Kid’s Fishing Derby Draws Dozens to Home Pond

June 11, 2026

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The 7th Annual Kid’s Fishing Derby reeled in another successful year on Saturday as 65 young anglers, along with parents and grandparents, gathered at Lamoni’s Home Pond for a morning of free, family friendly outdoor fun.

Co sponsored by Lamoni Parks & Recreation and Decatur County Conservation, the derby is held each year on the first full weekend in June to align with Iowa’s Free Fishing Weekend, when no fishing license is required. The timing allows families of all experience levels to participate without barriers.
Lamoni’s Home Pond, which is maintained by Lamoni Municipal Utilities, provides the perfect location for the derby. Volunteers from both sponsoring organizations were on hand to help kids bait hooks, measure fish, and learn the basics of responsible angling.

Every child who registered received a free event T shirt and a prize, thanks to donations from local businesses and grant funds secured through the AmeriCorps Youth Launch Outreach Fund. Prizes consisted of fishing gear, ensuring every participant went home with something memorable. This being America’s 250th Anniversary, each participant also received a coin commemorating the anniversary, provided by the City of Lamoni. Thank you to Lamoni Hy-Vee for donating the food and to Decatur County Conservation for the medals.

Organizers said the turnout reflects the community’s ongoing commitment to outdoor recreation and youth engagement. “This event keeps growing because families love having something simple, fun, and outdoors to do together,” said Tim Brunner, Parks and Recreation director. “It’s a family friendly event that promotes spending time recreating outdoors. 

“We’re thankful to AmeriCorps for making this event possible and making the event, prizes, and food FREE to all participants,” Mayor - Douglas Foster said.  “It’s great to see the kids’ reactions to the t-shirts and fishing gear.’

With another successful derby in the books, planning is already underway for next year’s event.