Gary

[Mike]

Yesterday afternoon, as my wife and I walked a mile along Jordan Ck and observed participants in Mentored Youth Day, she remarked with surprise that there were so many little girls fishing with their parents. As we struck up a conversation with a couple plus their son and their widely smiling, perhaps 4 yr old daughter, who was proudly carrying a trout on a stringer, I remarked approvingly that “I see you caught a fish.” The father quickly responded; “Yes, she caught her first trout,” with the emphasis on first. Then the mother chimed in; “She named it Gary!” My wife asked if she could see Gary and the girl raised the fish higher. My wife exclaimed; “Good job!”

 

[UncleShorty]

Yes, contrast that family with the jamokes who bring their child along as a prop. That enables the brainless parent to catch a bunch of pellet heads, put them in the freezer until they are ruined and throw them out in 6 months to "make room for venison"... that never gets eaten either...

These are the mental midgets who subscribe to the "Zero Sum" principle. If I get something, (a fish, a pheasant, a deer), then I am taking something that rightfully, they believe, belongs to THEM!

That attitude is the basis of the SELFISHNESS we see in this country today.

Maybe PA should consider requiring a signed letter from a mental health professional before issuing a fishing license...

 

[Dave_W]

What a great story.
This kiddo will remember "Gary" and hopefully stick with fishing, or maybe fishing will lead her into other outdoor pursuits as she gets older.

There's something good going on with outdoor sports across the state and, I suspect, much of the nation. We've talked about this a lot over the last couple years (I predicted that birding would increase back at the beginning of the pandemic). Obviously the pandemic has been the basis for much of this. Nevertheless, I think there's something else going on that I can't put my finger on.

Whatever the case, it's great to see. Heaven knows our kids need more face to face outdoor and nature time.

 

[wildtrout2]

Yes, contrast that family with the jamokes who bring their child along as a prop. That enables the brainless parent to catch a bunch of pellet heads, put them in the freezer until they are ruined and throw them out in 6 months to "make room for venison"... that never gets eaten either...

These are the mental midgets who subscribe to the "Zero Sum" principle. If I get something, (a fish, a pheasant, a deer), then I am taking something that rightfully, they believe, belongs to THEM!

That attitude is the basis of the SELFISHNESS we see in this country today.

Maybe PA should consider requiring a signed letter from a mental health professional before issuing a fishing license...

Yes, contrast this post with the OP. It shows some people's need to turn a positive into a negative. That attitude is the basis of a lot of the anger in this country today...

 

[Millsertime]

Great story Mike! Even if 99% of individuals that participate in mentored youth day take advantage of it (adults fishing), it's all worth it for the individuals/families that participate in it for the program's intended purpose such as described in Mike's story.

 

[McSneek]

Great story Mike! Even if 99% of individuals that participate in mentored youth day take advantage of it (adults fishing), it's all worth it for the individuals/families that participate in it for the program's intended purpose such as described in Mike's story.

If 99% are taking advantage of it the mentored youth day should be ended immediately. I doubt the number is that high but believe there are many greedy adults that do take advantage of it. I drove past a spot that was full of people fishing. Saw quite a few older kids who were well equipped and hardly looked like they needed a stream side mentor. Other than providing a ride to the stream I doubt any adult was “mentoring“ them.

in my opinion the traditional opening day is all that’s needed for a positive experience and introduction to fishing for kids.

 

[Biggie]

The local club was stocking trout on Sat. We drove down to one spot with a four wheel drive truck to find one young man fishing by himself, not other adults to be seen. He was 15, had one palomino on a stringer but said he had caught a bunch more and released them. To me this was a good example of letting the youth fish before the rest of the mob on opening day.

 

[4wt6X]

I took my youngest to opening day in MD. Surprised me that she was enthusiastic about getting up at 5am to go fishing, but she was. Maryland’s start time is 0530 am and we fished a small stream very close to home. I thought we would easily find a spot arriving over an hour before sunup. I was wrong as the stream was packed with several folks having mini camp fires on the bank. I am assuming they were there all night. Pretty surreal setting considering the target was a pile of stockers in a 25 foot wide stream.

We were able to find a somewhat precarious spot on the opposite bank near the base of a sycamore tree. The run we were fishing was good, but I was worried about her falling off the slim bank the whole time. We fished one rod, I was helping her cast, but she did a great job hooking and bringing them in on her own. Meal worms were the ticket! Caught her limit in under an hour and we left the madness. There were a few other kids there, but much less than I expected. I would estimate the kids made up less than 10 percent of the anglers and we only saw one other girl. My daughter actually made a comment about being the only girl there until we met the other on the way out.

Overall, a good experience and hopefully a memory she will hold on to. Maryland stocks a higher number of golden rainbows. They were all over the place and we caught three, which had her very excited. I did not appreciate the language being used by the older men there, and the overall ethics of bombarding a bunch of stocked trout, while fishing shoulder to shoulder is kind of goofy to me at this point, but it does create a very exciting experience for a kid. We fried the fish all up for lunch. Pretty tasty in Italian breadcrumbs and olive oil!

 

[4wt6X]

I took my youngest to opening day in MD. Surprised me that she was enthusiastic about getting up at 5am to go fishing, but she was. Maryland’s start time is 0530 am and we fished a small stream very close to home. I thought we would easily find a spot arriving over an hour before sunup. I was wrong as the stream was packed with several folks having mini camp fires on the bank. I am assuming they were there all night. Pretty surreal setting considering the target was a pile of stockers in a 25 foot wide stream.

We were able to find a somewhat precarious spot on the opposite bank near the base of a sycamore tree. The run we were fishing was good, but I was worried about her falling off the slim bank the whole time. We fished one rod, I was helping her cast, but she did a great job hooking and bringing them in on her own. Meal worms were the ticket! Caught her limit in under an hour and we left the madness. There were a few other kids there, but much less than I expected. I would estimate the kids made up less than 10 percent of the anglers and we only saw one other girl. My daughter actually made a comment about being the only girl there until we met the other on the way out.

Overall, a good experience and hopefully a memory she will hold on to. Maryland stocks a higher number of golden rainbows. They were all over the place and we caught three, which had her very excited. I did not appreciate the language being used by the older men there, and the overall ethics of bombarding a bunch of stocked trout, while fishing shoulder to shoulder is kind of goofy to me at this point, but it does create a very exciting experience for a kid. We fried the fish all up for lunch. Pretty tasty in Italian breadcrumbs and olive oil!

 

[Fly-Swatter]

I really like seeing/hearing of youth fishing. Thanks for sharing. It gives me a bit of hope for the future. Protecting the environment takes effort and sacrifice, both of which take will. Without knowing what there is to lose, there is little hope of the required will.

 

[troutbert]

I drove by two streams on Saturday and saw kids fishing with adults, as the program is designed.

The 99% who are evil doers must have been somewhere else.

 

[Brown71]

I agree with person that said dont turn a positive to a negative. There will always be some
"rulebreakers" of any program. But, for the vast majority of people it is a positive and a good way to get some kids on the water.

Furthermore, anyone thats really serious about fishing, could already have been out catching trout all winter with their kids. My 6 year old son has been out with me several times a month, from October to now.

Happy Fishing.