The scaly denizens of Elder Lake will be freshly-stocked and looking for a snack Saturday as Kilgore Economic Development Corporation invites anglers young-and-old for Family Fishing Day 2025.
Structural damage to the Synergy Blvd. Bridge required restricted access and weekend closures this year, and Kilgore EDC staffers are eager to welcome the public back to Synergy Park and its lake for a seasonal celebration this weekend.
“We know it’s been frustrating,” KEDC Executive Director Lisa Denton says, crossing her fingers for short, efficient reconstruction of the bridge. In the meantime, “We just wanted to find a way to let people have a day to come out and enjoy the park again, to reconnect and get a chance to fish.”
It means this year’s Family Fishing Day will have bit a more in store than before: Food trucks will be on hand so visitors don’t have to abandon their lines midday to go grab lunch off-site.
The just-in-time-for-the-holidays event runs 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 20 in Kilgore EDC’s flagship campus-style business park, with access to Synergy Park available through the front entrance off the Hwy. 259 Bypass.
“We know that every year the public looks forward to the trout release we do with Texas Parks & Wildlife,” Denton said, and her staffers have been fielding regular questions from anglers about when they can cast a line: “It’s an opportunity for those that enjoy fishing to have the opportunity to catch species they don’t get to fish for in this area very often.
“We have always tried to make that coincide with the school closure for the holidays so families can come out with their kids while they’re out of school and have a little extra time.”
As for the bridge, in addition to being a frustration for the public in recent months, the necessary safety restrictions in the park have been hard on its business tenants as well, and they’re eager to reconnect with the community ASAP with improvements underway.
It’s meant some special precautions for this year’s event, but they’re worth it, Denton says, and the addition of food trucks like El Calentano 903 means folks will be able to fish as long as possible in the serendipitously temperate weather.
“We’ve tried to find a way to do that here so they can spend as much time as they can,” especially while the freshly-stocked trout are hungry. Once the fishing event’s passed, it will be back to work as quickly and as carefully as possible on the bridge.
“The safety risk is much greater right now that the construction is underway,” Denton confirmed. “If we can all cross our fingers and hope we don’t get too much rain while the construction’s going on, maybe it will be done sooner.
“They’re working as fast as they can so we can get it open.”
