Cops and Bobbers reels in fun on the lake

On a warm summer evening at Riley Lake Park, Eden Prairie kids and police officers climbed aboard pontoons for two hours of catch-and-release fishing – and shared quiet moments with Eden Prairie police officers on the water.

The Monday, July 14, outing marked the seventh annual Cops and Bobbers event, a partnership between the Eden Prairie Area Chapter of Let’s Go Fishing (LGF) and the Eden Prairie Police Department.

With two officers aboard each of the two boats, the goal was simple: build trust while landing fish.

“The kids spend a couple of hours out there with the police, and they realize, you know, they’re their friends,” said Mike Gruidl, vice president of LGF’s Eden Prairie chapter. “It just works out really well.”

Each pontoon can carry 10 children, two police officers, a captain, and a first mate. Their mission? Catch (and release) as many fish as possible. Gruidl said it’s not unusual for boats to land close to 100 fish apiece.

Despite the heat and bright sun, the mood on the lake remained relaxed and cheerful. Officers baited hooks with nightcrawlers and helped kids untangle lines and improve their casting.

Some children who struggled early on were landing panfish and the occasional bass by the end of the evening. Loons drifted nearby. Other boats kept their distance.

Every child went home with a Scheels-donated rod and reel and a keepsake wooden “walleye” – a fish-shaped plaque with a hook on the back. When hung on a wall, it becomes exactly that: a “walleye.”

The Eden Prairie Crime Prevention Fund, led by president Lisa Toomey, provided small toy police cars with “EPPD” printed on the hood during the Cops and Bobbers event. “The kids really liked them,” Gruidl said.

Demand for the program is high. Gruidl said the city’s Parks and Recreation Department sends out an email when signups open, and “it fills up in less than an hour.”

“We wish we could take out more kids, but we do what we can,” he added. “We’ll get about 40 out during the summer with the police and fire department.”

That includes LGF’s Hooks and Ladders event, a similar fishing trip held two weeks earlier, on June 30, with the Eden Prairie Fire Department. Now in its second year, it’s popular with families.

LGF’s Eden Prairie chapter was founded in 2012 and operates with a network of about 100 trained volunteers. Its programs are offered at no cost and serve more than 3,000 people each year – including seniors, veterans, youth and people with disabilities.

“We’re all volunteers, and we just love doing it,” Gruidl said. “The city’s great – they let us use the land and set up our docks by the public landing. It’s a true community event.”

For the volunteers, the payoff is simple: happy kids, calm water, and a few good fish stories.

“I always say, if you’re going to volunteer, find something you enjoy,” Gruidl said. “What could be better than being on a lake in the summer, in a pontoon, fishing?”