Family Fish Fest Saturday in Abbeville

Throughout its development, Abbeville city officials imagined Lafitte Drive-in Park as a place for families to enjoy, with fishing being a big part of that.
On Saturday, imagination will become reality.
The City of Abbeville and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) are coming together to play host to a Family Fish Fest on Saturday, May 8. The event will be held from 7 a.m. to noon at Lafitte Drive-In Park, located at 105 S. John Hardy Dr. in Abbeville.
This will be the first fishing event at the park, which opened in 2019 after being developed for several years prior. The park features a large pond.
“It’s going to be a really nice event,” said Councilman Francis Plaisance, who spearheaded the development of the park and helped organize the fishing event. “We’re expecting a large crowd.
The first 100 youth registrants receive fishing goodie bags, and every registered participant is automatically entered to win raffle prizes. Pre-registration and event information are available online at www.wlf.la.gov/page/family-fish-fest.
Participants 16 and older must possess a valid Louisiana fishing license. If you would like to purchase a fishing license you can do so online at https://la-web.s3licensing.com/.
“We have over 200 pre-registered folks as of now,” Plaisance said on Tuesday.
Wildlife and Fisheries has stocked the pond with thousands of fish, ready to be caught.
“This is a put-and-take event,” LDWF’s Brac Salyers said. “We put them and you take them. We want the people to keep the fish. If you catch five catfish, take them home and have a good meal.”
There will be food and refreshments at the event, with Lance Broussard providing hamburgers.
“Donations have been generous,” Plaisance said.
Someone could walk away from the event with prizes. Broussard is putting up cash prizes for anyone who catches one of the four fish that will be tagged prior to the event.
“The first 100 kids (registered) will get a gift pack,” Plaisance said. “There will be different prizes.
“This is shaping up to be a great event.”