News of the Week

For Immediate Release: WEEK OF JULY 21, 2011

Wildlife Expo to feature Oklahoma angling opportunities

            
               
            Some would say if you have never had a chance to catch a fish, then you really haven’t experienced Oklahoma, but you can at this year’s seventh annual Oklahoma Wildlife Expo slated for Sept. 24-25.
             The Wildlife Expo, held at the Lazy E Arena just north of Oklahoma City, provides visitors a chance to fish for free in a stocked pond. Other angling-related opportunities at the Expo include seminars, fish filleting demonstrations, bowfishing simulations, kids casting games, fly fishing and fly-tying lessons, and exhibits hosted by personnel from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
              Visitors can speak with experts on a range of fishing topics such as the Wildlife Department’s paddlefish program, kayak fishing, tackle, spring and winter crappie fishing and more. Visitors can even sample delicious fried fish at the Expo’s popular Taste of the Wild booth, where volunteers serve up free samples of wild game snacks.
             New this year, Expo visitors can even visit a trotlining and juglining booth and attend seminars that teach the methods.
            With more shoreline than the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts combined and over a million surface acres of water, Oklahoma is an ideal fishing destination. And according to Rhonda Hurst, Expo coordinator for the Wildlife Department, the free event can be the springboard for a lifetime of fishing excitement.
             “Oklahoma has so many places for anglers to go fishing, many of them right in your backyard,” Hurst said. “By coming to the Expo, visitors can learn anything from the basics of how to start fishing to perfecting advanced techniques.”
             While angling activities are a highlight at the Expo, fishing only scratches the surface of the activities, events, seminars and other opportunities provided at the Expo. Visitors can shoot shotguns and archery equipment with hands-on instruction from experts, ride an ATV, attend a hunting dog seminar, learn to identify wildlife and even paddle a kayak in an indoor pond built right into the floor of the Lazy E Arena.
             The Wildlife Expo is Oklahoma’s largest outdoor recreation event, drawing thousands of people for a weekend of hands-on outdoor recreation and learning. The Expo is hosted by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation in partnership with a wide range of other state agencies, private individuals and outdoor-related companies.
             The Wildlife Expo will be held at the Lazy E Arena, just north of Oklahoma City. Expo hours will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 24-25. Log on to wildlifedepartment.com regularly to stay up to date on this year’s Expo activities.
 
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