Go Fish BC - Learn to Fish Program a Hit!Over fifty children and youth learned the ‘inside scoop’ on freshwater fishing from the visiting staff of Go Fish BC this July 18, 19 and 21st. The free pilot program was hosted by the City of Campbell River Parks, Recreation & Culture Department in partnership with the Haig Brown Centenary Committee.Children participating in the Haig Brown Summer Kids Camps and, on the Saturday, children 6 – 13yrs from all over the community, soaked up the enthusiasm and knowledge of the Go Fish BC staff. Dawn and Tanya have hooked over 30,000 BC kids on fishing! In Campbell River, they taught kids how to identify different fish, their habitat, where and when you can catch a fish, and how to properly handle a fish; including the important catch and release procedure. The capable Go Fish BC staffers shared knot tying skills, as well as casting and retrieving lines with eager young fisher’ people’. Participants were provided with all the rods, reels and tackle for the 4 hour program hosted initially on the Haig Brown property and then winding up with practice, practice, practice, at the river mouth along the Tyee Spit. After the Saturday program, which included 30 kids and their even more excited parents, one satisfied parent reported that “it has been the highlight of my son’s summer! He’s a very quiet boy, and he could not stop talking about learning to fish. It’s really exciting… I’m not sure who was happier, my husband or my son!” Since the program there have been several reports of families hustling to River Sportsman to purchase licenses and gear. Jim Van Tine, of the Haig Brown Centenary Committee, pitched the idea to Parks, Recreation & Culture staff with the hope that it would be a successful pilot program in Campbell River. His vision involves training a group of committed local fisher” people” who would facilitate the program several times a year in the Campbell River area. It’s a great time, with the Haig Brown Institute celebrating Roderick Haig Brown’s 100th birth year, to instigate the idea of passing on the passion of fishing and understanding of conservation and stewardship to the youth of Campbell River. Interested persons can contact the Haig Brown Institute by logging onto www.haigbrowninstitute.org or Jan Sandholm at City of Campbell River Parks, Recreation & Culture, 286-1161. You can view footage of the Saturday ‘Learn to Fish Program’ on Channel 10 Monday, August 11 at 9:30pm, Tuesday, August 12 at 11:30am or 4:30pm. And if all that really hooks you, make sure you plan to attend the Haig Brown Symposium hosted in Campbell River on August 15, 16 & 17th. For details for the symposium follow the links to http://www.sfu.ca/cstudies/science/resources/salmon/HaigBrown_Program.pdf
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