Lures and fish facts

The Summer Reading Program, “Make a Splash—Read,” held at the Lakeside Public Library each Wednesday at 1:30 had two special guests on August 4. Tom Rumreich from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife gave a dramatic presentation about fish, and Jerry Cox from the STEP program brought materials and helped the children create their own lures.

Rumreich’s love of fish was very apparent as he used different props including fish skeletons, preserved fish, and stuffed animals and even having students imitate fish at times. His use of humor kept his audience laughing as they paid close attention to the facts he presented.

He shared that fish aren’t always found in water; an electric eel with 550 volts of electricity could run the electrical appliances in a home, groupers are led by a male until that male dies and is succeeded by the largest female; a puffer fish uses its spines to escape the jaws of a large fish; sharks do not have to go to the dentist because their teeth always grow back. He also gave interesting facts about tiger sharks, guitar ray fish, wolf eels, angler fish, and salmon.

After Rumreich’s presentation, Jerry Cox let the children choose materials to make their own lures. The colorful creations were taken home by the kids with the hopes of catching a fish.

Submitted by: Sue Groen, Children library instructor