The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will host another free family fishing event Saturday, April 15 at St. Louis Ponds near Woodburn from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The ponds will be stocked with legal- and larger-sized rainbow trout shortly before the event. ODFW will provide equipment including rods, reels and bait for use during the event, on a first-come, first-served basis. Angling education instructors and volunteers will be present to answer questions and offer assistance to less experienced anglers.

“This is an excellent place to experience a day of family fishing,” said Jeff Fulop, youth fishing event coordinator for ODFW’s North Willamette Watershed, noting that there are several ponds and fish species to choose from.

St. Louis Ponds is a 54-acre complex of seven ponds jointly owned and managed by ODFW and Marion County Parks. ODFW has made a number of improvements at the ponds in recent years, including a paved ADA accessible trail and a couple of ADA accessible fishing platforms. In addition to stocked trout, the ponds contain several species of warmwater fish, including largemouth bass, catfish, bluegill, crappie and sunfish.

Anglers ages 11 and under can fish for free while those 12-17 will require a youth license, which are available for $10 at ODFW’s website (odfw.com), offices and license agents. Adult anglers will need a regular fishing license. Licenses will not be sold on site the day of the event so people planning to participate should get their licenses ahead of time.

St. Louis Ponds is located 13 miles north of Salem and west of Interstate 5. To get to there from I-5, take the Woodburn exit. Then go east to Hwy. 99E. At Hwy. 99E, head south to Gervais Road. Go west on Gervais Road through the town of Gervais. The road eventually changes to St Louis Road. Continue west on St Louis Road as it crosses over I-5 to Tesch Road, at the railroad crossing. Go left on Tesch Road and follow the signs to the ponds.