Rotary kids free fishing day returns to Traverse City campus
More than 250 young anglers are expected at NMC’s Great Lakes campus, where 500 brown trout will be stocked for a free, beginner-friendly family fishing day.
Free fishing, stocked brown trout and borrowed gear are turning Northwestern Michigan College’s Great Lakes campus into a low-cost summer outing for Grand Traverse County families. Rotary Kids Free Fishing Day is set for Saturday, June 20, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with organizers expecting more than 250 young anglers and their families to take part.
The campus harbor will be stocked with 500 brown trout, each 10 inches or longer, under the supervision of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Fishing rods, reels and bait will be provided, and children may also bring their own gear, making the event accessible for beginners and for families who want a simple way to get kids on the water.
Rotarians and cadets from the Great Lakes Maritime Academy will help young anglers bait hooks and learn basic fishing skills. The Northwest Michigan Fishing Club will clean fish for participating children, while the Great Lakes Children’s Museum will host a free fish-painting activity for those waiting their turn. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter flyover is also planned.
Parking for the event is at NMC’s Great Lakes campus, 715 E. Front St. in Traverse City, just east of the Delamar Hotel on U.S. 31. The setting matters as much as the activity: the harbor puts the day in the middle of Traverse City’s water-focused landscape, giving children a local introduction to fishing that fits the region’s lakes-and-rivers identity.
The event is sponsored by Traverse City Rotary Clubs, Rotary Camps & Services, Northwestern Michigan College, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Rhonda & Michael Estes, the Great Lakes Children’s Museum and the Northwest Michigan Fishing Club.
The timing also follows closely after Michigan’s spring free fishing weekend, which ran June 13-14 and waived fishing license fees statewide, though all fishing regulations still applied. State officials say free fishing weekends happen twice a year, and the DNR stocks more than 20 million fish annually across Michigan waters.
For NMC, the annual kids fishing day has become a familiar summer fixture with a changing roster of fish. The campus harbor held 700 rainbow trout in 2024 and 500 brown trout in 2025, and this year’s 500 brown trout stocking continues that pattern of a hands-on, family-centered event that gives children a first cast without much cost or preparation.
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