The Kiwanis Club of Vero-Treasure Coast cast a wide net during its annual Take a Kid Fishing Tournament held along the catwalk under the Barber Bridge. The Kiwanis Club has hosted the event for the past 30 years to introduce children to the joys of fishing.

“We do this to provide recreation for young kids. The kids love it, and the members get a charge out of watching them,” said event chair Jim Wolfe, noting that fishing is a great way to bring families together. “It gets you outside and we have a natural fishing habitat here. That’s really good.”

Club members and volunteers from the Key Club, the student-led arm of the organization, helped the little anglers bait their hooks, and weighed and measured the catches as they were reeled in.

Nearly 60 children, ages 5 to 12, joined by parents and grandparents, fell hook, line and sinker for the event, ultimately reeling in 126 fish. Among them were pinfish, pigfish, mangrove snapper, catfish, Jack, mojarra, stingrays and oyster toadfish.

Afterward, having worked up an appetite, everyone was treated to subs and sodas.

“This is not a fundraiser,” said Doug Vitunac, club president. “It’s really just to help the kids have fun. That’s our mission, to help the youth. And what better way to do it than have a fun fishing tournament.”

The Kiwanis Club of Vero-Treasure Coast, founded in 1973, follows the global mandate of serving children through activities such as this one, and raising funds to provide college scholarships to high school seniors.

The club meets each Wednesday at noon at the Vero Beach Yacht Club. For more information, visit verokiwanis.com.

Photos by Kaila Jones