As an angler of only nineteen, when this article was written, I am just now beginning to realize the values of being introduced to fishing, and the outdoors at such a young age. Aside from providing me with an opportunity to peruse something I love as hopefully a career one day, but also to provide quality time with friends and family, which as the Master Card commercial says is "priceless".

Many of the seminars I conduct throughout the year, are geared towards getting children involved in fishing and the outdoors in general. I do these, many of them I volunteer for, because I do feel that getting children, es pecially at younger ages, involved in the outdoors in a very important cause. The results of this can be seen at launch ramps, and outdoor conventions where nearly every child I come in contact with, is a well mannered, polite young person. Unfortunately many times the same cant be said for the average suburbanite youngster, whose replaced time outdoors, with time on-line.

Again, I mentioned I do seminars geared towards young people, and many times more importantly parents, who many times seem lost when it comes to how it to get their children started either fishing, hunting, or camping. To answer that, I say just get out there and do it. A K-Mart blister pack rod reel combo and some bait, can provide countless hours of quality family time, which would otherwise be spent planted in front of a television set, or personal computer. Especially for children, I encourage fishing as a primary sport, and the reasons I list here, are the same reasons I tell parents at seminars. First of all, though I have nothing against traditional stick and ball sports, the natures of those sports, which are so popular in today's youth, by design, must have a loser. By the very premise of the sport, there must be a winner and a loser. Not so with fishing. Fishing on its most basic level, does not have a loser, an entire group of children can set out, go fishing, and never once fear losing, or not doing good enough, or not being as good as the next guy, which is the fear in many of today's sports. Also, pressure is completely minimized. Unlike many of the sports I mentioned before, where there may be pressure placed upon children by parents, coaches, and other sources, fishing is completely free of that. Fishing on the non competitive level has nearly zero pressure, and very much unlike traditional sports, can be very relaxing and to a large degree very educational. I speak for myself when I say that I have learned more about the outdoors, that being things not directly related to fishing, such as water fowl, ecosystems, and biology, than I have ever leaned in a biology class. Its an activity where one can learn by doing, which are lessons that last a life time.

Another reason I encourage children to fish, is people. People are what makes the fishing, the hunting, and the camping so memorable. I have met more people that I am thrilled to have as friends through fishing alone, than nearly any other way I can think of. Tournament partners, fishing club members, and a host of others, many of whom I have cultivated meaningful friendships which have made this sport so much more rewarding. I have friends today, that I would have never met had it not been for fishing. Mind you these are friendships that last because they share a common bond, which in some circles is practically a religion (I cite fly fisherman there who have raised their craft to a cult like following). Also, in fear of sounding like a child psychologist, fishing with friends, and learning from peers as well as instructing other, greatly cultivates social skills. I know that personally I have become a better "people person", which helps me professionally now greatly. Giving seminars, talking to sponsors, and mingling with people at trade shows, are all instances where being a people person is crucial, and I can honestly say that fishing has greatly helped me with that.

I mentioned competitive fishing before, something that I hope to one day make a career out of. I can honestly say, in my region, many of the children I run into never even knew it existed until I brought it to their attention on the spot. However, once and a while I will run into a child that does know what it is and to some degree would like to be involved in it. If you do know any children interested in this, I honestly say, that you should peruse it. Should they be over the age of 16, I'm sure there is a local bass club in your area that will take them as a member, and as I was, the youngest member of the club, show them many of the tricks of the trade. If they are under the age of 16, I would look into fishing camps, or youth organizations with a focus on the outdoors. It is also worth your while to see if there are any youth oriented fishing clubs in the area which in many cases are the ideal organization for young people to further explore fishing, and the outdoors. If you do know a child that is currently interested in competitive fishing, please make use of my e-mail address at the bottom and contact me if you need any assistance, as I will be glad to answer any questions you might have.

With that said, before I end this article, I would like to cite some results from a news week study, where it was said that children involved in the outdoors are 43% less likely to get into trouble with their school, their parents, and the law. I have no idea how they conducted this study, but somehow I really don't find the results that hard to believe. In an age where our lives are constantly invaded by technology, it might just do us some good to turn off the pagers, cell phones, beepers, carrier pigeons, drums, signal flares, and singing telegrams, just to spend some time together fishing or camping.

Again, if you have any questions on how to get started with your children in the outdoors, or if you live on Long Island and need reference to a local club or organization, feel mail me with the heading (ATTN.: Kids & Fishing), and I will be sure to give your mail the utmost priority.

Catch Ya On The Water...