Break out the fishing tackle: It's time for S. Elgin's Tuna Kahuna contest

You won't catch a real tuna in this weekend's Tuna Kahuna Fishing contest, but the Fox River has more than a half-dozen others your child might catch in South Elgin's annual fishing contest.

Bass, walleye, bluegill, and several other types of fish are eligible for the contest to see which child can catch the largest fish in the river.

"We have seven fish categories, but typically the biggest fish is a carp that's about 24 inches," said Shane Hamilton of the South Elgin Parks and Recreation Department. "They look so different from other fish that the big ones sometimes scare the younger kids."

Bass and walleye fish are typically the two most valued types of fish found in the Fox River because of their size and appearance, Hamilton said. The carp is not particularly valuable because it is a bottom feeder, a type of fish that get its food from the riverbed. The carp's mouth is more circular than other fish like the walleye or bass, whose mouths are wider.

Catfish are best known for their catlike whiskers, and are more often found in rivers than still bodies of water like lakes or ponds.

The seventh category is just any other fish caught that doesn't fit in any of the six other categories.

Bluegills are typically some of the smallest fish that anglers catch with their lines. And no, a bluegill has never been the biggest fish caught in the 15 years the contest has been held.

Event organizers expect more than 600 people to show up, with family and friends looking on as an estimated 200 kids stand on the banks of the river. Kids will cast their lines anywhere on the river between the South Elgin dam to the north and the southernmost tip of SEBA Park.

The event is open to any child 15 and younger, but most kids won't be able to rely on their older relatives to help them get the fish out of the water.

"The purpose of the event is to get kids outdoors and teach them how to fish on their own," Hamilton said.

All participants receive a registration bag with coupons and a fishing lure. Kids also get raffle ticket when they register for the event where they can win anything from a life vest to a minnow bucket.

The anglers who catch the biggest fish in their categories - say, the biggest catfish or biggest bullhead - win all types of fishing goods. But the kid who catches the biggest fish of all wins a five-hour guided fishing trip on Lake Michigan, where the game is much bigger than 24-inch carp.

There will also be a disc jockey on hand to play music as the kids fish, but not so loud as to scare the fish, Hamilton assured.

The event is free to the public, even to nonresidents. The tab is picked up by the village of South Elgin and local sponsors.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, June 13, the day of the event, and fishing poles are in the water from 9 to 11 a.m.

For details, call the South Elgin Parks and Recreation Department at (847) 622-0003 or go to the village's Web site at southelgin.com and click on the Parks and Recreation Department link.