On Sunday, June 23, the Take Me Fishin’ Day took place at Cook Park in Greene. Jim Root, designer of the program – along with the help of friends and generous donors – brought this program to fruition.
The air was filled with excitement and anticipation for the day's activities. The stage was set and the children were ready for a day full of fun and education. Because of different experience levels and a larger group than expected the kids were separated into three groups. The day began with an important message, followed by a lesson on how to tie a Polymer Knot.
"We told everyone the most important part of fishing is to protect our resources so that this wonderful sport can be enjoyed by the future generations,” Root said. “Clean water is an essential part of maintaining a healthy fishery. We told kids how important it is not to litter, and to carefully and quickly return all caught fish back to the water."
The first-timer group was headed up by Jim and his buddy, Dylan Howe. They went over bobber fishing, how to bait a hook, how to set the hook, and how to remove the fish from the hook without being spined by it. Dylan, age 15, did an amazing job helping the inexperienced in a way that only adults are typically able.
Danny Drake took on the intermediate group and helped them learn the tricks needed to step up their game. This group of kids was a bit more experienced, and they were educated on the use of lures and fishing with live bait. Many of the kids from this group were able to apply the skills learned to catch a fish.
The final group received a more in-depth discussion on the use of artificial baits. Mike Barone taught this group and spent quite a bit of his time helping the kids perfect their skills. Mike taught them how to "Texas Rig" soft plastics, and to throw some top-water lures.
The weather at the event was semi-cooperative in that it didn't rain, but was quite hot. On days like these, the fish tend to bite less. Fortunately, they weren’t totally shut off, and many of the children got a bite or were able to catch a fish.
