By Carrie Pack
I vividly remember the first time I went fishing. I was so excited to join my cousins at the lake to learn how to fish. Then someone tried to get me to bait my own hook. Ew. I was having none of that.
Finally I managed to convince someone to stick that wriggling, slimy worm on the hook, and I was ready to catch some fish. Despite my aversion to bait, I managed to snag the only fish that was large enough to keep. So I was seriously heartbroken when I was told my fish would have to be thrown back because there wasn’t enough fish to keep.
If I had only had some lessons, maybe I would have become an expert angler. So when I saw a notice for a kids’ fishing workshop, I really wanted to share.
The Friends of Washington Oaks Gardens State Park are hosting
kids’ saltwater fishing workshops on Fridays this summer at the park. Kids will not only learn from a park ranger about fishing technique, but they’ll also get an education in conservation and safety. The clinic is completely hands-on; children will be fishing on the bank of the Intracoastal Waterway as they learn their skills.
Don’t have your own gear? No problem. Each kid will get equipment for the length of the workshop: tackle, bait and even a complete rod and reel. They’ll even get a light snack and beverages. The three-hour workshop (9 a.m. to noon) is open to kids ages 8 to 17 and costs just $20.
If only they would have had this when I was learning how to fish, I would have been grinning from ear to ear with my certificate of completion! Although, they do offer the workshop for adults, too. I might just have to take a day off to face my fishing “demons.”
The only catch: you must register in advance by calling (386) 446-6783 or via e-mail at Washington.Oaks.Gardens@dep.state.fl.us.