Teach a Kid to Fish. . .

The Fund is dedicated to reconnecting kids with nature. Here’s a story from Mike Kelly, our Great Lakes Office Director, about teaching kids his favorite activity: fishing!

On a perfect day this past May, I watched as boat after boat sailed down the Saginaw River. They were arriving for the 2nd annual BayFest at Veterans Memorial Park in Bay City, Michigan. Bay City was the first stop on a professional walleye fishing tournament circuit that winds through the Midwest. This year I was serving on a small committee to organize activities just for kids. Our goal was to get Michigan kids excited about a variety of outdoor activities. I couldn’t wait to spend the day teaching them about my personal favorite—fishing!

A spectacular way to experience the great outdoors, fishing was a major part of my childhood growing up in Michigan. Now with kids of my own, I treasure every opportunity to get out on the water with my family and friends and enjoy the natural beauty of our home state. Unfortunately, fishing—along with lots of other outdoor activities—has waned in popularity since I was a kid.

That day at the BayFest, the kids learned the basics: how to bait the line, how to cast and how to release the fish back into the water. They were challenged to “Name That Fish,” minnow races, and an action-packed kids-only fishing tournament. We also talked to them about the importance of the Saginaw River and its famous walleye fishery that attracts anglers from all parts of the world.

At the end of the day, many of these kids went home with their very own fishing rods and reels. Seeing kids—many of whom had never held a fishing pole before this event—laugh, play and enjoy themselves as they learned was rewarding for me both as a fisherman and a conservationist.

One of the projects I’m working on with The Conservation Fund is to protect a vital Saginaw Bay tributary at the city of Frankenmuth in Michigan. We’re aiming to reconnect more than 75 miles of prime spawning habitat for walleye and lake sturgeon. If we’re successful, it’ll be one more victory for Michigan!

Hopefully, events that expose children to ways they can experience the outdoors, like Bayfest, will inspire them to spend more time in nature and soak up all the adventure that Michigan’s world-famous lakes and rivers have to offer.