Youth fishing /By Will Elliott
There’s plethora of programs to hook kids
Call them clinics, contests, tournaments, or just plain outings, fish outings for kids can be pure fun—with some fact-finding cast into the mix.
Many an adult angler going through mid-life or elder-years fishing reflections recalls the simple, silly things that bonded them with this array of outdoor pursuits we generally call fishing.
Kids learn neat tackle-handling techniques to avoid those terrible tangles, but they also have a chance to practice first-hand field studies in ethics, fair play, and honest good fun with folks who often become lifelong friends.
Learning the basics of sharing, even when not always practical, often adds enjoyment and good humor to an outing.
Decades ago, during a Lunker Anglers Kids Fishing Contest around ComoLake in Lancaster, one kid brought a bucket of minnows from Frank “Dusty” Amborski’s bait-tank truck on the other side of the lake. Crappies, supplied from DEC musky-trapping nets at Chautauqua Lake, bit kids’ baits as soon as they hit the water. Kids ran out of live emerald shiners fast.
One boy politely approached the kid with the full minnow bucket and asked, “Can I have a minnow? I’ll bring it back.”
Fair play is where you find it.
Kids will have many opportunities to catch those big ones, learn sportsmanship values, and find a few more good friends during well planned youth fishing contests, clinics, and tourneys clubs and agencies have scheduled in June and July. The fun begins with two youth events on Saturday to celebrate the start of National Fishing and Boating Week.
• The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service puts on its Wildlife Festival and Youth Fishing Contest at Hyde Park in Niagara Falls all day Saturday.
The fishing starts at 8 a. m. and ends at 11:30 a. m.; the festival goes from 11 a. m. to 5 p. m. Contest entrants and all visitors can enjoy outdoors exhibits, including live animals, during the festival. To register youths for the competition, call Sandra Keppner (691-5456).
• East Aurora Fish and Game Club begins its Youth Spring Fishing Derby at 10 a. m. on club grounds Saturday. The contest goes until noon, followed by a hot dog picnic and prize presentations.
Youths can bring their own gear or use club rods and reels during the fishing. All events are free and open to the public. Just show up. No registration is needed. For details, check with Dave Barus (597-4081).
• The Department of Environmental Conservation stages several fishing clinics each spring. The one around Lake Kirsty at Tifft Nature Preserve is a classic. Volunteers from Erie County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs (ECFSC) assist DEC staffers at this youth and family event.
The fishing begins at 9:30 a. m. Visitors can view interesting DEC aquatic displays and youths can use supplied fishing gear (including bait) and helpful assistance from ECFSC helpers. A hot dog lunch and awards presentation follows the fishing, with many additional prizes to kids who participate. Parents and caregivers must pre-register youths for this event. To enter, call Mike Todd at the Buffalo DEC office (851-7010).
• Wilson Conservation Club offers kids ages 3-14 a chance to enter their fish caught anywhere in Niagara County waters. On June 20, from 8 a. m. to noon, kids can bring in fish for measurement.
Trophies and prizes will be awarded at 1 p. m. and all kids entered will receive prizes for trying to catch a fish. For registration details, call 731-5234 or 930-7500.
• The Forness Pond Youth Fishing Derby in Olean begins at 9 a. m. June 20 and goes to 1 p. m. For DEC program details and to register, call Mike Todd (851-7010).
• The Chestnut Ridge Park Youth Fishing Clinic not only offers free entry, the Saturday event is on the New York State license free weekend for resident and non-resident anglers, June 27-28. DEC and ECFSC personnel will set up at the park’s lake for a three-hour program of fishing, a hot dog lunch, and assorted prizes presented to young entrants.
Children must be pre-registered by calling the East Aurora Boys/Girls Club (652-4180).
• Southtowns Walleye Association (SWA) presents its 17th Annual Catch and Release Kids Fishing Derby at Tifft Nature Preserve on July 18. Signins begin at the preserve’s visitors building, and kids can weigh in fish to be photographed and released from 8 to 11 a. m. A luncheon goes from 11 a. m. to noon, followed with award offerings and prize drawings. For details, call the SWA office (649-8202).
• Lund Boats stages its Angler Young Angler (AYA) Fishing Tourney in Western New York this year. The July 18 event will be the 28th site nationally for the AYA event in which one adult (over 21) accompanies two youths (17 or younger) in the competition.
For entry details, call Chris Weaver at Anchor Marine (773-7063, ext. 121) or go to AnglerYoungAngler.ca and click the “2009 Schedule” starburst for the Buffalo event.
Many other in-club, company, and informal kids’ outings can be entered for the asking. Kids have plenty of places to take their parents and adult caregivers this fishing season. Maybe you can share a minnow or two. Enjoy.
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