East Moore Lake in Fridley named one of the top 50 ‘Mom Approved’ lakes.

Fishing fun for all ages and abilities is close to anyone in Anoka County, where four lakes and two rivers have easy-to-reach piers, family-friendly settings and fishing for bluegill and catfish through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fishing in the Neighborhood (FiN) program. 

These lakes are for all ages and great places to learn how to fish. Or, for anyone who wants to relax and wet a line. “From a pier, it’s often easy to see fish take your bait – that’s a highlight for a lot of kids” said Tim Ohmann, east metro area fisheries specialist

A national organization this week gave a nod to one of these waters – East Moore Lake in Fridley – which was singled out in a list of the top 50 “Mom Approved Places to Fish and Boat” by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation.

Fishing pier at East Moore Lake

“We’re happy to hear a lake like East Moore is getting some national attention,” Ohmann said. “This helps us show how easy it is to go fishing here, since Moore is one of dozens we have that offer similar experiences.”

For the award, outdoorsy moms in Minnesota were asked to vote on their favorite place to fish and boat based on a list of accessible fishing locations. Now the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation is taking votes to narrow the list down to the top 10 fishing spots.

Anyone can vote at https://www.takemefishing.org/momapproved/  .   

The FiN program puts about 25,000 bluegills into the 66 small lakes in the metro area each year. Anglers need not buy expensive tackle or boats to catch bluegills. A cane pole or inexpensive rod and reel set up with a bobber and a worm for bait will do the trick. Panfish also can be caught using crickets, bugs, small leeches, crankbaits, little jigs and by flyfishing. 

A list of Anoka County fishing spots can be found at FiN-AnokaCounty.