By: Mark Romanack
The smile on this young man tells the whole story. Fishing is fun and it builds all kinds of life skills like patience and persistence that will serve them throughout their entire lives. In short, fishing is a wholesome activity that does an excellent job at bonding people together in a common goal. The world could use a lot more fishermen and fisherwomen.
For some time now I’ve been very concerned about the future of sport fishing in America. The numbers do not lie. Due to attrition, we loose more anglers from our ranks every year than are added thanks to new comers joining the sport. You can point your fingers in different directions when placing blame, but the real problem is that as anglers we do a poor job of introducing newbies to the sport.
Chances are when you started fishing, some one helped the bug grow into an obsession. For me it was my older brother Mike who would drag his little brother around to fish farm ponds and creeks. As we got older and could drive, the passion spread to larger lakes and rivers.
In my case, fishing eventually turned into a career that has spanned more than 30 years and is still going strong. For most however, fishing is a form of recreation that can be enjoyed at any level and at any age. That’s the beauty of recreational fishing. There is literally something for everyone, every budget and every ambition.
Recently I had the privilege of volunteering at a kids fishing contest sponsored by the Lake St. Clair Metro Parks and the Lake St. Clair Walleye Association. More than 300 kids signed up for this annual event that encourages families to participate.
In this particular case, the Metro Parks donated a fishing rod/reel combination and a tackle bag to every child who participated. So there is no excuse about not having the necessary gear to get started. The Metro Parks also pitched in to provide lunch for all the kids, parents and volunteers.
This first time fisherman was rewarded with a nice largemouth bass and memories that will last a lifetime.
In addition to fishing opportunities, the Metro Parks provided a number of hands on events to keep families engaged and enjoying the outdoors for a few hours.
The Lake St. Clair Walleye Association is also an intricate part of this event. They set up their tournament stage, served as the weigh masters and provided dozens of knowledgeable volunteers to insure every kid enjoyed a fun and safe fishing experience.
Local businesses donated other essentials like live bait, terminal tackle and prizes for the winning fish.
In my case, it was the first time I had participated in this annual event that has been going on in one form or another for more than 20 years. I kept myself busy putting out rods/reel combos for the kids, untangling lines, re-rigging lines as necessary, running fish from the weigh master back to the water and taking pictures and short videos of the event.
In short, I was blown away by how many kids participated, how much fun those kids had and just as importantly the pride I could see in the kids, their parents and the volunteers. This event was truly a win-win for everyone involved.
I came away convinced that grass roots events like this annual kids fishing contest is exactly what the fishing industry needs to gets kids and their parents fired up about fishing. In addition to this annual summer event, the LSCWA also organizes a winter kids fishing event that does a great job of getting kids involved in ice fishing in a safe and controlled environment.
Every fishing club should be following the lead of the LSCWA and the Lake St. Clair Metro Parks in offering similar events in their community. I’m sure many clubs are already engaged in this goal, but for those who are not currently sponsoring a kids fishing event, please consider making it a priority.
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