The sport of recreational angling has changed over
the years. The advancement of equipment, from global positioning
systems to holographic lures, has been a visible evolution. The
transfer of fish-catching information, such as techniques and
location, has exploded through print, television, the Internet, and
word of mouth. Anglers are more vocal about resource issues. Natural
resource officials have increased their communication with angling
enthusiasts. They’ve played a larger management role in terms of
fish populations, imposing special regulations.
What does the future hold for fishing? How big will boats and motors
get? Where else will electronics take us? What will lures look like
in fifty years? What special regulations will be in place? What will
the quality or our lakes and rivers be?
I sure hope I’m around to find out! It’s more likely that my kids
will be though. My six and four-year-old sons enjoy fishing already.
My five-month-old daughter had her first boat ride earlier this
summer. Hopefully, fifty years from now they’ll enjoy fishing as
much as I do now.
Kids have many activities competing for their attention these days.
Video games are pretty attractive to the young mind. Television
offers just a little more variety than it did when was kid! Internet
chat lines sound popular too. Hmm . . . none of the above requires
much physical effort. In fact, one doesn’t need to leave the
comforts of the house to enjoy these activities. The bottom line is
that fewer kids are getting outdoors. The average age of anglers and
hunters is increasing.
So . . . who will communicate sportfishing concerns to resource
officials in the future? More importantly, who will support our
basic rights to fish, if and when such an issue would come to a
vote? The individual exposed to fishing at some point in his or her
life, regardless of whether it becomes a personal lifetime activity,
is more likely to vote for anglers’ rights than the person who never
wet a line. The same is true for hunting. That guy whose neighbor
took him fishing a few times as a kid may not become a fisherman.
But, he may see the value in the sport, the conservation involved,
and the enjoyment it brings to many. He may recall those trips and
vote “our way”.
Now is the time to get young people excited about fishing. Keep it
fun. Remember, we are competing against Play Stations, MTV, and the
Internet. My kids like to have a big lunch along. Who doesn’t? We’ll
interrupt our fishing to just see the sights from time to time. They
enjoy seeing fish and turtles in the shallows. We’ll pull in on a
sand beach so they can swim on hot day. We talk about safety issues,
conservation, biology, the weather, and everything under the sun.
Fishing is an avenue that brings families or adults and kids
together. The way I look at it, if I can get my kids in the boat or
on the dock with me, they have to communicate with me! They can’t
disappear into the other room. I see anglers of all ages who share a
boat together work as a team too, more so than they might in other
settings. I try to assign my kids jobs in the boat. One might be the
“live-well manager” while the other rations out the snacks. As far
as fishing, we go for action. It’s hard to beat bobber fishing for
panfish.
Last year, my home community held its’ annual Take-A-Kid Fishing
event. Volunteers, equipped with seventy-five boats, took 150 boys
and girls fishing for an afternoon. In nineteen years, we’ve taken
an estimated three thousand kids fishing! The primary goal of the
program is to simply expose kids to the sport of angling. The
volunteers have as much fun as the kids!
If you’ve read this article, you must enjoy fishing. Pass it on to
the next generation. They are the future of fishing!
Travis Peterson
classicbass.com Field Staff
