Kids fishing, not just fly fishing, but fishing

[TimMurphy]

Dear Board,

We all know license sales are dropping, but I'm not sure we know why?

I'll propose a reason and I welcome your comments.

I personally think that kids simply don't have the interest in fishing that I, and many others, had 40 or 50 years ago when we were kids.? The act of fishing requires you to be outside, possibly out of cell service, and if you are doing it right you will probably get dirty. One of those things would trouble a lot of kids, all three make it virtually impossible for many children to stomach.

I fully understand that most of us started fishing under the tutelage of a parent or an Uncle or maybe a neighbor. However, when we reached the point where we had any sort of mobility, and I my time it was a bike or foot power, we set out on our own. I don't see that happening anymore?

I live close to the Susquehanna River. I drive from my home to Carlisle to work 250 days a year. From May to October I drive by the Fort Hunter boat launch and often see $ 250,000.00 worth of boats and trucks in the lot at 6:30 AM and again at 5:30 PM. It's been this way since 2007 when I took a job in Carlisle.

What a rarely see, are a couple of kids walking along the river with fishing rods in hand. If I see a dozen a year that is a lot.

Are my observations off base? I'm not looking for arguments, I'm looking for anyone who can tell me if, and perhaps why, I am wrong?

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

[Dave_W]

TimMurphy wrote:

Are my observations off base? I'm not looking for arguments, I'm looking for anyone who can tell me if, and perhaps why, I am wrong?

I think your observations are correct.

Cell phones are a cancer on the lives of kids.

 

[Dave_W]

I suppose on the bright side it's worth noting that, this year, license sales remained stable and didn't drop (somewhere around 750K if my memory serves me right).

I do, on occasion, see kids walking around with fishing gear (love to see this!) including a couple boys in downtown Chambersburg the other day.

But I agree, it's much less common than a generation ago when teenage and pre-teen boys were ubiquitous along any river in summertime.

 

[jbewley]

I see kids with poles, heading to a small stream, nearby, fairly often. I will say that the area is rural, the bikes are old and they do not look like they own a cell phone. That could be the reason they are fishing.

Jim

 

[redietz]

I'm not sure I'd entirely blame cell phones. Today's parenting style is different than what it was in our day. In a neighboring county down here in Maryland,a set parents were arrested for allowing kids (10 year olds, IIRC) to go outside to play without adult supervision. This was eventually thrown out by the courts, but in many circles, unsupervised play is viewed as a form of child abuse, or negligent parenting at best.

When I, or any of us my age, were 10, it was "go outside and be home by supper." It would seem to me that maybe cell phones could be part of the solution -- just make sure it's a flip phone.

 

[Mwheaps32]

Tim I'm seeing the same thing in regards to a lack of youth involvement. I was fairly active with school activities work and chasing girls but I always found time or made time (skipping school occasionally) to fish.

Cell phones started showing up in my late teens early twenties but that only made hooking up with a fishing buddy easier and coordinating other fishing activities.

My parents had no problem when I was a kid dropping me off a couple miles down stream and then picking me up several hours later up stream somehow this was coordinated without a cell phone.

I'm not sure what is happening but the streams are less crowded and the few local guys I fish with are older than me. I wade fished a two mile stretch of the river this summer and never saw one other angler wade fishing despite ample access.

 

[Mike]

Hopefully, some of this year’s 35,000 Mentored Youth Day child participants will take up fishing or keep fishing as a result.

As for kids fishing on their own, that decline started before cell phones were common. It is also characteristic of certain areas. I still found kids in Schuylkill Co in the past decade or so running around on bikes and carrying fishing rods just like we did when I was a kid. Berks County has a little of that. Lancaster Co has a lot thanks to the plain sects. Likewise, I have seen it in urban parks, such as in Bethlehem, Whitehall, Allentown, and Philly, especially when rail trails parallel the streams.

I think my parents’ stated philosophy was somewhat typical of suburbanite parents of the period. Their philosophy was that they could keep me inside or in the fenced yard where I would be “safe” and miss a lot of childhood fun or they could let me risk injury and live life to the fullest. I am thankful that they chose the latter. That early freedom served me well; I never became a fearful kid and I lived for adventure.

I was off of the property on my own (within a tenth of a mile) at age 5 and my range expanded as time went on. Restrictions were no firecrackers, no BB guns, no riding in strangers’s cars and look both ways before crossing the street. They allowed me to fully enjoy the fun of childhood by letting me go out to sled on the streets, race wagons downhill on the streets, go up on the local mountains to play, at age 11 bike my best friend’s house by fully crossing urban Reading, to do so, at age 9 bike a few suburban miles just to play pick-up baseball, and at age 6 bike or walk to the local pond a mile away to fish.

My mother used to drop me off at Manatawny or Little Manatawny Ck to fish when I was 10 yrs old and pick me up a mile or two downstream at a designated time three hours later. I had a blast fishing, wading, walking, and catching water snakes.

As far as my parents were were concerned, step one in fishing was to learn to swim at age 6 and after that I was cleared to go fishing on my own and with my childless next door neighbor (and my fishing mentor) along the shoreline of the Susquehanna’s Conowingo pool for catties, crappies, and walleye on about half of the Saturdays each year until I was 18. That pool had a treacherous, steep shoreline that dropped immediately into deep water...thus the parents’ and neighbor’s swimming requirement. And fishing was the carrot on the string.

Out of those varied experiences of youth, Mentored Youth Day was conceived.

 

[Mike]

deleted duplicate

 

[maxima12]

Yes, I have noticed well before 1996! Got involved in an organization and thought I could renew the "youth involvement in fishing" and was considered foolish. members reminded me " we are not babysitters". I actually was the president of a local unit!

The actual events resulting in my resignation were: A land owner in Lycoming County needed some stream clean up after high water and needed help. This landowner owned a lot of land on Pleasant Stream in Lyc. County.

Oh boy, I thought, what a chance to get youth involved! Let's get the boy scouts and the girl scouts together and spend a day. We most likely could not fix all the problem but a "showing that we cared". Well, that's when I was hit with the babysitter remarks.

Well I am not there now and the kids are not there! Did this have any effect on today? Who knows but I tried!

So the real secret is to try! Hats off, again to Pa. Fish Commission for their youth involvement plan! It is the best plan, I feel they have done for everyone. I say sometimes, What can you do to save it".

Pa. Fish Commission to the rescue! Now, a choice, believe in Pa. or believe in nothing! I would rather play my aces and take that chance than toss one in and go for the "Royal".

just my thought and most likely, my own!

Maxima12

 

[TimMurphy]

Mike wrote:
Hopefully, some of this year’s 35,000 Mentored Youth Day child participants will take up fishing or keep fishing as a result.

As for kids fishing on their own, that decline started before cell phones were common. It is also characteristic of certain areas. I still found kids in Schuylkill Co in the past decade or so running around on bikes and carrying fishing rods just like we did when I was a kid. Berks County has a little of that. Lancaster Co has a lot thanks to the plain sects. Likewise, I have seen it in urban parks, such as in Bethlehem, Whitehall, Allentown, and Philly, especially when rail trails parallel the streams.

I think my parents’ stated philosophy was somewhat typical of suburbanite parents of the period. Their philosophy was that they could keep me inside or in the fenced yard where I would be “safe” and miss a lot of childhood fun or they could let me risk injury and live life to the fullest. I am thankful that they chose the latter. That early freedom served me well; I never became a fearful kid and I lived for adventure.

I was off of the property on my own (within a tenth of a mile) at age 5 and my range expanded as time went on. Restrictions were no firecrackers, no BB guns, no riding in strangers’s cars and look both ways before crossing the street. They allowed me to fully enjoy the fun of childhood by letting me go out to sled on the streets, race wagons downhill on the streets, go up on the local mountains to play, at age 11 bike my best friend’s house by fully crossing urban Reading, to do so, at age 9 bike a few suburban miles just to play pick-up baseball, and at age 6 bike or walk to the local pond a mile away to fish.

My mother used to drop me off at Manatawny or Little Manatawny Ck to fish when I was 10 yrs old and pick me up a mile or two downstream at a designated time three hours later. I had a blast fishing, wading, walking, and catching water snakes.

As far as my parents were were concerned, step one in fishing was to learn to swim at age 6 and after that I was cleared to go fishing on my own and with my childless next door neighbor (and my fishing mentor) along the shoreline of the Susquehanna’s Conowingo pool for catties, crappies, and walleye on about half of the Saturdays each year until I was 18. That pool had a treacherous, steep shoreline that dropped immediately into deep water...thus the parents’ and neighbor’s swimming requirement. And fishing was the carrot on the string.

Out of those varied experiences of youth, Mentored Youth Day was conceived.

Dear Mike,

I was born in Schuylkill County, but I grew up and spent most of my childhood along the headwaters of the mighty Poquessing Creek.

When I was a kid our Mom, and Dad too, let the Murphy boys roam. We built dams, caught frogs, tadpoles, crayfish, minnies, and the occasional actual fish like a chub or a sucker. We returned home every night for dinner, and got our arses beat for getting all hogged up in the mud. But the next day we had clean clothes and even our sneakers were washed, so we could do it again.

Once we had bikes we roamed far away, to places like Mill Creek in Holland and the Churchville Reservoir. I mention them because I know you know where they are. I caught my first trout ever in Mill Creek right by the Mill Race Restaurant. I was so proud I threw it in the basket of the bike I used to deliver newspapers and rode straight home. It was hot, and the trout was about half cooked when I got home, but my Mom helped me cook it anyway. I wonder to this day if it was stocked or wild? ;-)

Childhoods like ours seem to be a rarity these days? I find that sad.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

[Canoetripper]

I am now 61 years young. I was fortunate enough to live very close to the Yellow Breeches Creek in very northern York County when I was a young boy.

I had a Zebco 202. I wasn't the only boy in the neighbor who had one but I probably did spend a lot of time on the water with one more so than others.

I also spent a lot of time playing with footballs, basketballs, and baseballs. Everybody did that way back then.

There were only three channels on the TV. No cable when I was growing up.

I was always exploring in the local woods and fishing with my Zebco 202 along the Yellow Breeches Creek. I was also very good at getting bad cases of Poison Ivy.

 

[TimMurphy]

maxima12 wrote:
Yes, I have noticed well before 1996! Got involved in an organization and thought I could renew the "youth involvement in fishing" and was considered foolish. members reminded me " we are not babysitters". I actually was the president of a local unit!

The actual events resulting in my resignation were: A land owner in Lycoming County needed some stream clean up after high water and needed help. This landowner owned a lot of land on Pleasant Stream in Lyc. County.

Oh boy, I thought, what a chance to get youth involved! Let's get the boy scouts and the girl scouts together and spend a day. We most likely could not fix all the problem but a "showing that we cared". Well, that's when I was hit with the babysitter remarks.

Well I am not there now and the kids are not there! Did this have any effect on today? Who knows but I tried!

So the real secret is to try! Hats off, again to Pa. Fish Commission for their youth involvement plan! It is the best plan, I feel they have done for everyone. I say sometimes, What can you do to save it".

Pa. Fish Commission to the rescue! Now, a choice, believe in Pa. or believe in nothing! I would rather play my aces and take that chance than toss one in and go for the "Royal".

just my thought and most likely, my own!

Maxima12

Dear Maxima,

I see your posts often and wonder if maybe some time over the years our paths have crossed without us knowing it?

I've seen you say you're from Picture Rocks, and I know quite a few people from Hughesville and thereabouts.

The last kids I took fishing were the grand kids I inherited when I took up with my wife Theresa. Theresa is from New Hampshire, and the first time we went back after she came her to be with me I took 2 float tubes and two sets of fins. It was Memorial Day weekend 2011 and her grand son Dylan was 14. I said, "Hey Dylan, wanna go fishing?" That was the last her family saw of us during daylight hours. We missed 2 picnics, and boy was the family pissed.

I fished with her grand daughter Allie when she came down to visit us in PA. She was like 12 or 13 at the time and having won a trout derby back in New Hampshire wanted no help from me when we fished. She is going to graduate from High School in 2020. I wonder if she would go fishing with me when Theresa and I go back for the graduation ceremony?

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

[TimMurphy]

Canoetripper wrote:
I am now 61 years young. I was fortunate enough to live very close to the Yellow Breeches Creek in very northern York County when I was a young boy.

I had a Zebco 202. I wasn't the only boy in the neighbor who had one but I probably did spend a lot of time on the water with one more so than others.

I also spent a lot of time playing with footballs, basketballs, and baseballs. Everybody did that way back then.

There were only three channels on the TV. No cable when I was growing up.

I was always exploring in the local woods and fishing with my Zebco 202 along the Yellow Breeches Creek. I was also very good at getting bad cases of Poison Ivy.

Dear canoetripper,

The Zebco 202 was common, but it's the ability to locate poison ivy that makes me wonder if we aren't somehow related?

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

[Canoetripper]

You're reply was great. If I just see PI I know that am going to get it.

 

[maxima12]

Nice, real nice posts fellows! Don't just tell it, SCREAM IT! What would ever make you think, it can't happen again, with youth, Now!

Timing, The right time at the right place! Place---Pa. Time---Now!

Time has come--tick toc--tick toc!

We have a few months ahead of us to plan! Take a child or in fact, someone fishing! Brothers & Sisters--- show them the time of their life! Just like it was the time of your life, only a little better!

Let me ask this question! How would you feel if you went through your whole life and did not a thing, or hesitated to fulfill a young mans or gals dream. To catch a fish, well that is a dream we all remember, very well! I will bet, a dream always remembered! Add this dream to a person involved in it and "The Dream" becomes so imbedded in the brain, seems you relive it 1000 times!

I actually remembered "this dream" a million times! "my first trout".
With my dad, it got off and I started crying. Wallis Run! Maybe, not so much as loosing the fish, feeling I disappointed my father!

I found out, Father was not disappointed, took me again and again as much as he could, then I took my father, again and again as much as I could! My best "All Time Partner". DAD!

And when dad was not available, uncle, next door neighbor, friends stepped in! All great, wonderful and fun. Fishing with "DAD", was the best! Wonder how he found all that time for me! Guess he just found time!

Maxima12

 

[steliejim]

I was fortunate enough to have a great dad who took me fishing as a youth from age 4 as much as he could. We had a lifetime worth of great memories and some were only a few miles from home at the local water dam. I really miss my dad and those days.

Fast forward to the present. I passed this on to my 2 sons and I would carry them out at 3 in the morning to let them sleep in the car on the way to the stream--it was a long drive. My younger son, though, is a little less enthusiastic than his older sibling to this day. There is nothing like spending the day with them.

What I rarely see is other kids out with their parents. Every fishing club I see has all the work being done by a handful of members in their 60's and 70's.
This is already in the second generation.
I blame 12 hour work shifts, and many more single parents now than when I was a kid.
Let's face it. If you weren't shown this great sport as a kid, you have a far less chance of picking it up in adulthood.

 

[silverfox]

My personal opinion are there are 2 big factors in the decline in interest in fishing.

1. We as a society in the United States are far busier today than we were a decade or more ago. Whether it be work or life in general, we work more and take less vacations than we used to. We're constantly using our digital tools for scheduling things, and we're run ragged. I think this has resulted in people having less free time in general, and therefore, less fishing time.

2. When I was a kid, the local put-n-take stream was all open water. The state stocked it pretty much along it's entire length. Today, it's mostly posted, and the state basically stocks it in 2 places that still allow public access. I suspect my local trout stream isn't unlike many others in the state. I think proximity to public access plays a role in the likeliness of a person's desire to fish.

 

[DGC]

The points made thus far seem about right. But my concern for today's kids is tempered by the extensive participation in youth football and softball. I think those are considerably better attended than when I was their age.

 

[poopdeck]

It's more a parental shift then a children shift. Unsupervised play was the norm in my childhood. My children's time was largely comprised of structured activities. They were not lazy and they weren't addicted to the internet however the internet did allow them to maintain friendships outside of their activities friends. Sports took up most of my kids "free" time outside of school and work.

I'm not sure how kids not fishing equates to laziness. I tried to get my kids interested in fishing but they found it boring and to sedatary. A walk through the woods was not enough of an activity for them to consider it active. I'm pretty sure they would consider me lazy for choosing to fish over going to the gym or swimming 5000 meters before starting the day.

As for my kids riding bikes to the local creek. No way. The roads were to congested with to many distracted drivers.

 

[ryansheehan]

DGC wrote:
The points made thus far seem about right. But my concern for today's kids is tempered by the extensive participation in youth football and softball. I think those are considerably better attended than when I was their age.

Youth football has taken a big hit due to the concussion issues, but overall I agree with your point. Youth sports continue to do well despite the cell phone. I think the biggest point that is being missed so far is the change in culture. There are more people and organizations that morally oppose hunting and fishing than thirty years ago. In my opinion this trend will continue to get worse.