One of the best investments that our family has made is a fishing license. The best thing about AZ fishing licenses is that you do not need one until you are 14 years of age. If you are over 14 then it will cost around $24.00 dollars with tax.

 My husband loves to fish, and because of this, my daughter now loves to fish too. This has become a great family outing for all of us. We get up early, I bring my latest magazine or book, we pack up the car and we drive.  

A lot of Arizona parks have what they call urban fishing; this is great choice if you have kids whose attention span isn’t very big. They are usually at public parks, so there are playgrounds and “potties”.

One of my favorite stories of fishing with my family happened early this summer. We went to Papago Park and brought a nice lunch and some outdoor games (there wasn’t a play ground where we were).  I knew before we got to the park the day was going to be interesting..  This happened when I realized I forgot one of the main ingredients in my chicken curry sandwiches: the curry.

So the day began.  When we got to the park there was a nice breeze and the sky was beautiful. The ducks were out and keeping Megan entertained.  Did I mention we were able to get a table in a great location! After our interesting lunch, the fishing started.

Megs was having a great time swatting the pole trying to catch a fish. Her daddy was having fun doing his favorite thing – Fishing.  I was totally engaged in one of my favorite magazines. That’s when Mark spotted a tiny little “island” only a few stepping stones away.

He helped Megs cross the little stream on stepping stones. “The island”, as my family now fondly calls it, only kept Megs attention for I don’t know, oh, maybe 2.5 minutes. This is when she decided to try to cross by herself.  She made it across just fine.  I think she was even amazed herself, because she did not just cross it once or twice but three times.

 (The stream that leads off of the main “lake”)

On her way back on the forth time she crashed and fell right in the water!  It was a wet mess for sure, but we can’t help smile and laugh every time we think about it.   So as you can see why, this has become one of my favorite memories of this summer.

For parks that have places to fish, goto the AZ fish and Game Website . This also has all the rules regulations you need to start enjoying this fun summer tradition!