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Hamilton "Hammie" Cox grinned from ear to ear as he hopped out of a drift boat at Johnson Lake State Recreation Area on Sunday.

"Oh dear God, he's got three," his aunt Denise Cox exclaimed as Hamilton pulled three iridescent rainbow trout one by one from a plastic bag. His cousin, Martin Cox, followed with fish of his own. "You think we're cooking that thing?" Denise Cox said.

Hamilton and Martin, who both turned 7 on Sunday, achieved an important milestone for two young boys growing up in Alaska. Not only did they go fishing for the very first time, they were successful. Hamilton, Martin, their friend, Troy Burnett, and about 50 other students from Kenai Peninsula schools set off on the lake with a local guide in search of rainbows at the Kenai River Professional Guide Association's annual Take a Kid Fishing event. At the end of the event, each child went home with a tackle box and most went home with at least one fish.

Mike Fenton, chairman of the Guide Association, said the association decided to switch the event from the Kenai River, where the event had been held the previous six years, to Johnson Lake to maximize the children's fishing experience.

"It's all about catching a fish at this age," he said.

Fenton, association co-chair Scott Eggemeyer and other volunteers brought 400 Oregon night crawlers with them as bait and provided the rods and reels.

Even though about half the kids were left on the lakeshore, their fishing experience wasn't diminished. About 15 minutes or so after casting his line, Tom Burke, a fourth-grader at Connections Home School Program, reeled in a 10-inch rainbow.

"It was the biggest fish I ever caught," he said. "I could feel him pulling."

Tom successfully reeled in his fish, but the trout proved too slippery for Tom's dad, Toby Burke, to handle. As soon as Burke dipped the fish in the lake to wash it off, the little guy slipped through his fingers and swam to freedom.

"They should have a net," he said.

Fish nibbled at Grace Burke's bait for about 20 minutes before she reeled in her first catch, but unlike her brother, she wound up keeping it. Burke said he often fishes with his kids on the Swanson and Kenai rivers, but fishing for trout at Johnson Lake is good for kids because of the slow water.

"Rainbows are nice because they fight the kids," he said.

Sixth-grader Cody Warren came in with five fish, but once his guide landed his boat, Cody decided to let them go. When asked what the secret to his success was, Cody said he just kept reeling in at the same speed.

"(I like) releasing the fish," he said. "I get to touch them."

Shane Webster, who will spend his first season as a guide on the Kenai River this summer, said the kids in his boat got some bites, but there were a lot of swings and misses. "You never know if they're going to bite it for a minute or bite it for a second," he said. "The kids had fun."

Jerry Strieby, owner of Strieby's Guide Service and a member of the Guide Association's executive board, said participating in the Take a Kid Fishing event for him is one of the high points of the season. Their attention span may be shorter, he said, but the kids don't come into the boat with preconceived expectations. Adults on the other hand take it way too seriously sometimes, he said.

"They just enjoy the day," Strieby said. "And if we catch fish it's a bonus."

Cox said her son, Martin, and Hamilton were chosen to go fishing based on an essay they both wrote on why they want to go fishing.

"Both mentioned their moms won't touch slimy fish," Cox said as her son and nephew floated away. "There better not be guts in them."

For Martin, showing his mom his catch was icing on the birthday cake.

"She's gonna cut the head off," he said, pointing to his mom.

Jessica Cejnar can be reached at jessica.cejnar@peninsulaclarion.com.