If the kids aren’t at Polliwog Park this Saturday, it’ll be the event that got away.

“Summertime and the livin’ is easy. Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high.”

Well, leave out the cotton and you can apply the lines from this classic Gershwin tune to Manhattan Beach’s annual Fishing Clinic and Contest this Saturday in Polliwog Park, where youngsters will be introduced to one of summer’s most time-honored pursuits.

Boys and girls ages 6 to 12 can gather their rods and reels and head down to the pond for pointers on lures, special knots and how to cast a line without hooking your brother in the process. Children under 6 must be accompanied by an adult.

So if you don’t know a scale from a tail or catfish from crappie, listen to fishing and knot expert Wilmer Drake, 75, a Manhattan Beach resident and one of the clinic’s experienced volunteers.

Looking for bass? Try weedy water. Catfish? They love to snack on pungent cheese, garlic and chicken livers.

But don’t worry about picking up Cheddar for Saturday’s clinic. Bait will be provided and the lure of choice will be the fisherman’s dependable friend, the live earthworm.

“They’re so hungry in (Polliwog Pond) they’ll eat almost anything, but worms are the favorite,” Drake said.

Getting the squirming worm to stay on the hook is, of course, part of fishing’s challenge. There are hundreds of knots used to tie lures and hooks, but Drake says he’ll recommend that anglers of all ages use the Palmore knot.

“It’s the type of knot you can tie in the dark,” he said confidently.

Here’s how: Pass your line through the eye of a hook and return the lead end of the line back through again to form a loop. Tie an overhand knot, as if you were tying a shoelace, then slip the loop over the end of the fish hook’s curve and draw the line tight.

Drake guarantees a 90% perfect hold with this knot. And the right knot means more fish.

Once the line is knotted and baited, young anglers will learn the proper and safe method for casting. The secret, Drake said, is not how far you cast but making sure you’re accurate. Throw the line to where the fish might be.

“Not all water has fish in it,” Drake said, speaking from 67 years of fishing experience. “You should fish in a pattern covering a 180-degree area.”

After listening to fishing clinic tips on respecting nature, sportsmanship and spin-casting, youngsters can use what they’ve learned to compete for contest honors against other anglers in their age group.

Polliwog Pond may be named for tadpoles, but it is stocked for the contest with catfish, bluegill sunfish and at least 14 large-mouth bass, guaranteeing a good catch for almost everyone, said Idris Al-Oboudi, Manhattan Beach’s recreation supervisor.

Prizes including fishing nets and other sports equipment will be awarded for the biggest fish in each age group. Last year, one winner hooked a 23-inch catfish, Al-Oboudi said. If the fish survived the winter, it’s had time to fatten up for this year’s competition.

Participants who want to show friends at home the ones that didn’t get away are encouraged to bring a camera to photograph their haul. After being measured and weighed, all fish will be returned to the pond.

If the fishing clinic and contest sound like something out of Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn,” there’s a reason, Al-Oboudi said. It’s good, old-fashioned fun.

“Old recipes are like grandma’s recipes,” he said. “They work.”

What: Fishing Clinic and Contest.

When: Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.

Where: Polliwog Park, Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Redondo Avenue.

Admission: Free.

Information: (310) 545-5621.