Hackensack Hosts 22nd Children’s Fishing Contest

Hackensack has spent more than two decades showing kids how to reel in a big one for their annual summer Children’s Fishing Contest.

The first contest was held in 1996 and believe it or not, no kids showed up. Now in 2018, the contest will sometimes see more than 100 kids. Every child walks away with a goody bag, and there are special prizes for kids who catch the biggest, smallest, first and most fish in their age group. In recent years, the contest has become a draw for kids who live outside of the state.

Bill Kennedy, the Hackensack Children’s Fishing Contest Coordinator says, “Obviously, we have a lot of local kids. You’ll see them come up here. They catch a lot of the most fish because they know the little spots. They know the secrets. They’ve done it a whole lot, but we get kids coming from outer local areas and from far away as – we’ve had them from Hawaii for the continental United States. Every state in the Union has been there and even other countries. We have recently given away prizes to kids from Germany.”

The fishing contest is held every Tuesday at 11 in Hackensack. There are two more contests left this summer.