For the past seven years, Anissa and Brock Lyshik have been attending the Portage County Cops and Bobbers event either with their mother, Ann, town of Sharon, or their grandparents, Janice and Jack Soik, Plover. Though older now, the experiences they have had will bring them back again this year, they said.

“It’s special because it’s a day for us to spend time with our grandparents, and bond with many different people, and, of course, fish which we both enjoy,” said Anissa, 15.

The 8th annual event will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, June 4, at Bukolt Park. The event is free of charge for children ages 4 to 13. The children must be accompanied by a parent, grandparent or other adult at all times.

Portage County Sheriff’s Department, Plover Police Department, Stevens Point Police Department and the Department of Natural Resources will be among the agencies helping out and providing information on fishing techniques, rules and regulations, and weighing in. Many children who have reached the age above the limit, like Anissa, come back and help with younger anglers.

“We’ve had people who have come back every year,” said Deputy Eric Koepsell, one of the organizers of the event. “They came the first year and now they’re 16, 17, 18, and they’re coming back to volunteer.

“It’s a bonding experience for parents and kids and a chance for kids to have a positive interaction with law enforcement,” he said.

Though the event is free of charge, organizers are asking for anyone interested to register by Friday, May 20, to get an approximate number for food and T-shirts. Those interested can register by calling the Portage County Sheriff’s Department at 715-346-1425. Callers will be forwarded to Koepsell’s voicemail and asked to leave their name, contact information, number of attendees, if equipment is needed and shirt sizes for children (indicate adult or youth sizes, small up to double extra large).

Those interested may also register by emailing Koepsell at [email protected] or organizer Plover police officer Seth Pionke at [email protected] When emailing, be sure to include the requested information.

Participants will be asked to check in prior to the program on the day of the event. Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. The event will be held rain or shine.

The program began in 2008 when Koepsell and Pionke teamed up to create a way to bring law enforcement and the community together while also sharing their love of fishing. That first year, there were 15 kids and rain. Since then, it has grown to more than 125 who participated last year.

“I think this is a great experience for all children of all ages and their parents or grandparents to bond,” Ann Lyshik said. “As kids, my husband (JB) and I fished a lot with our parents, and as my kids grow up and like it more and more, it is something that teaches them what nature is like and the day without the cell phones and electronics.

“And I love the ‘fish’ stories we hear when they come home from the event,” she said.

The event is held on free fishing weekend during which people can fish without having a license. The program was designed to take advantage of that opportunity to bring children and families out who may not have the funds to purchase a license or equipment or just aren’t sure whether the children will enjoy the activity to see if it is worth the investment.

“We thought it was a great idea, but we didn’t know if it was going to take off,” Pionke said. “And every year it’s grown.

“To see a 4- or 5-year-old, any kid, who has never caught a fish before hold whatever it is on the line, it’s pretty amazing,” he said. “It’s something they’ll always remember.”

The day offers a chance to get to know law enforcement, there is free bait, equipment to use, free lunch, prizes, and, of course, education.

“We learned that you can’t catch cray fish off shore with a hook and line, and we learned the rules and regulations of fishing, and about catch-and-release instead of always wanting to keep them,” said Brock, 13.

And there are no real challenges in the day, he said, “besides when you lose a pole in the water.”

The event is sponsored in part through the partnership between The Portage County Deputy Sheriff’s Association and the Stevens Point Elks Lodge 641 (which awarded a $2,000 grant for the program and whose members volunteer on the day), and includes support from the Cops and Kids Foundation, a Ministry Saint Michael’s Foundation grant, donations from Walmart and community members, Dunkin Donuts, Northern Bait and Tackle, Johnson’s Towing, $500 donation from UAW Local 2020, Barsness Insurance and the Stevens Point Police Officers Organization.