National Fishing and Boating Week

Published on June 07, 2021

With more than 2,700 acres of lakes Jackson County Parks + Rec has plenty of water to float your boat and wet your hook.

June 5-13, 2021, is National Fishing and Boating Week and is a great excuse to enjoy some time at one of Jackson County’s lakes.

Three of the county’s lakes, Blue Springs, Jacomo and Longview, have full services marinas providing fishing gear, marine supplies, snacks and fuel to help make your day on the lake more enjoyable. If you do not have your own boat, pontoon and fishing boats are available to rent.

Power boating, water skiing, tubing and jet skiing are popular activities on both Blue Springs and Longview Lakes where there are no horsepower limits. Sailing, canoeing and kayaking are more familiar sights on Lake Jacomo where boats have a 25-horsepower limit. Lake Jacomo even has pedal boats, kayaks and canoes for rent.

If fishing is your thing, bass, crappie, walleye, catfish, carp and bluegill are abundant in the lakes. It has been a slow start to the season but, the water is warming up and more catches are coming in. If you are not fishing from a boat you can always fish from the tree-lined shores or one of the many fishing docks.

Two great places to pick up fishing tips, besides from our regular fisherman, are from: The Dept. of Conservation annual prospects reports:  https://mdc.mo.gov/fishing/fishing-prospects/areas/lake-jacomo. The Facebook group 'Lee's Summit Area Fishing' by Mahoney Outdoors is also very active: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2096404020579228.

George W. Bush declared National Fishing and Boating Week a national holiday in 2002, even though it has been observed unofficially for decades. This week was initiated by Take Me Fishing, a branch of the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) to encourage seasoned anglers to share their love and knowledge of fishing with younger anglers and increase participation in recreational fishing and boating.