What: Passport to Fishing Program
When: Monday July 28, 2008 10 AM to 2 PM
Where: Lake Isabella Loveland, OH http://www.hamiltoncountyparks.org/parks/isabella.htm
Who: Homeschoolers ages 10 and up, limited to 24 participants
RSVP: Laura
Costs: Free (Hamilton County parks yearly sticker or daily pass required $5 yearly/$2 daily per vehicle)
What to bring: lunch, sunscreen and an eagerness to learn

“Passport to Fishing” is sponsored in part by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation. Fishing fundamentals are taught including casting, knots and rigging, habitat and handling. Passport to Fishing is promoted as an easy way to learn the basics of angling, get kids outdoors and on the road to a lifetime of recreational activity. As part of the program participants will be assembling their own rod and reel fishing pole that they will take home with them at the end of the program. Participants will also recieve a copy of Sport Fishing: Aquatics Resoures Handbook

Parents are welcome to drop children off for the program, remember to pick up promptly at 2 PM. If you decide to stay on site, you may NOT have younger siblings in the program areas (classroom and fishing at lake with the group). There is a playground within the park limits that you may choose to visit during the program.

Despite a slight mess up with Angie (naturalist) where she ended up being an hour late, the program went amazingly well. When the other naturalists realized she was going to be late, they got the kids set up with fishing and then Mike got the kids working on assembling their poles. The kids were wonderful and paid attention as they were led through pole assembly. When Angie got there she went over all that they would need to know to be successful fishermen/women.

Grant caught a TINY fish, bigger than his late great catch, but still smaller than his hand! Cade waded in and snagged a "dying" catfish, it died almost as soon as he got it out of the water. It weighed a little over a pound and he was so excited, even though he didn't catch it with his pole. He asked to bring it home to show his dad, and despite the odd looks from other moms, I let him put it in a bag and bring it home. On a side note, a mom whose kids were at the fishing clinic brought a bunch of bagels from the food pantry her daughter volunteers at (apparently they throw out the baked goods at the end of each day) so I had a bunch of bagels in my van.....between the dead fish and the everything bagels, my car smelled like a jewish deli!

I was slightly annoyed...somehow the information about the event, that I only advertised on a local group I am active with (due to the limit on the # of kids I could have), got posted outside the group. It isn't that I mind others being there, but it that people from the group that came NEVER post their stuff outside of their group and they would never let people who weren't part of their exclusive group participate. OK rant over!