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Summer Kicks Off With Successful Fishing
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Posted Friday, June 21st, 2002 to The Bass Pro Diary
The first day of summer shines on the youth of Milwaukee during the orientation of a summer long fishing clinic, and the kids are catching a lot more than just tips on fishing!
June 21st, 2002
Today is the first day of summer (per the calendar), and what a beautiful day we had here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin! What made it even better was the fact that I was FINALLY able to take my rod and reel and poke around for some fish. Unfortunately I was not able to go bass fishing - but I was able to fish in an urban setting at the Washington Park Lagoon in Milwaukee. But even better than setting the hook into a bluegill or bullhead was getting local youth in the community hooked on the sport of fishing.
Today kicked off a summer program (I have had the honor of been affiliated with) presented by New Life Family Worship Center, a Milwaukee church led by Pastors Guyand Debora Taylor. It is a summer fishing clinic and fisharee tournament trail for both the youth of the church, as well as any other children in the local community who have the desire to participate. We began at 12 noon, and had asked all of the children to be present for our first fishing clinic that consisted of me doing a brief and generic discussion of the different types of fishing tackle used on the tournament trails. The children were asked to bring their fishing poles, and for those who did not own one - they were available to buy through the church. Various donors also contributed anonymous gifts that made it possible for children to receive a fishing rod combo even if they (or their parents) did not have the funds available to buy one on their own. There was not one child there without a fishing pole and basic equipment!
Following the seminar I put on (with the help of the Davis family), we worked with getting the kid’s rods set up and ready to catch some fish! Many of the children had never used a fishing pole in their lives - so the adults had to spend quite a bit of time doing some one-on-one training with casting skills, knot tying, retrieving reels from the bottom of the lagoon, and line untangling before we could even begin fishing. It only took a few minutes, though, and the youth were casting and hooking fish with the greatest of ease.
The majority of the fish caught were bullhead, where several dozen were hooked in using corn as bait. The children also managed to bring in some good sized perch (the city had just completed a perch stock on the lagoon), bluegill, and the ever so exciting goldfish one youth had managed to land. This fire-orange goldfish attacked a hook baited with three pieces of corn, and had to weigh in the two to three pound range. Granted, it was as pieces of carp and a rough fish - but it sure sparked an interest in the eyes of the children, keeping them motivated to continue on.
The program will continue with three fisharee tournaments held on July 6th, July20th, and August 31st, with the top scoring kids advancing to the church’s “God Is Master Classic” held on September 7th at Tichigan Lake, just south of Milwaukee. I will be one of three boaters taking the kids out on the lake for an authentic bass tournament, where bullhead and goldfish will not count towards the prizes (only smallmouth and largemouth)! We are also working with different tackle companies who are in the process of donating tackle to the children for use at each of the fisharees. Currently, Network Tackle Supply will be donating some lipless crank baits for the July 6th event, and Fish-n-Spin is set to donate some pan fish spinnerbaits for the August 31st fishing day. We are also putting some prize packages together for the finalists at the classic tournament. It should be a good time! If you live in the southeastern Wisconsin area, and would like to get further information on the series (free to the kids) for either participation or prize donation, please send an e-mail to NWTackleSupply@aol.com to request further info.
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