More attention is being paid to getting America’s children out of doors and engaged with the environment. Ohio is in the forefront of this movement, and the state has already implemented a program to train volunteers as Certified Fishing Instructors. These instructors are qualified to organize and oversee Passport to Fishing programs for children.
Ohio’s Passport to Fishing Program
The Passport to Fishing program is operated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Education Section, and is part of the Aquatic Education Program. Children aged 17 and younger may participate, although those 16 and older must purchase fishing licenses if the event includes fishing in public waters. Certified instructors oversee volunteers who teach children the basics of casting, fishing knots and rigging, fish habitat and handling, and local information for anglers
Volunteers Teach Children to Fish
Children rotate among four learning stations. Detailed information is provided for instructors who man each station, giving them all they need to know to present the material, which includes general information and hands-on activities.
At the casting station, adult volunteers demonstrate the correct way to hold and operate fishing rods safely and effectively. Then the children practice casting with real fishing rods that are fitted with casting plugs or have sticky or magnetic weights attached to the lines. Children can practice by casting into hoops on the ground, or laminated paper fish may be placed in an area that is designated “the pond,” allowing the kids to catch them and reel them in.
Fishing knots and rigging stations are equipped with ropes and metal bolts with large eyes. Learning to tie knots can be a difficult task for children, but large scale materials makes it easier to see how the knots work. Participants learn two essential fishing knots, the Palomar knot and the improved clinch knot. Rigging includes a demonstration of preparing to fish by attaching a hook, sinker, and bobber to the fishing line. Following the demonstration, children are back to hands-on learning, attaching bobbers, sinkers, and using their newly-acquired knot-tying skills to tie on hooks. Experienced instructors report that this is the place where children are most likely to become instructors themselves. Kids who master the knots quickly become engaged in showing others how it’s done. Each child’s rigging is placed in a plastic bag, labeled with the child’s name, and sent home with that participant at the end of the program.
Fish habitat and handling stations include some instruction about the parts of fish, where fish live, and how the actions of humans affect the watersheds that sustain fish. This is also a hands-on learning station. Children are invited to help create a topological map that illustrates a watershed. They also practice holding a fish correctly and learn to release their catch from hooks with as little harm to the fish as possible.
The final station is where participants learn about local information for anglers. They consult two Ohio Division of Wildlife pamphlets, Sport Fish of Ohio Identification and Ohio Fishing Regulations, learning how to identify the fish they catch and also how to determine whether or not those fish may be harvested. The hands-on learning portion of this station uses more laminated fish, of various kinds likely to be caught in Ohio. Children work in teams with adult assistance to find the fish in the identification pamphlet, measure the length of the fish, then consult published fishing regulations to determine whether or not that fish could be kept. Instructors award small prizes when children find the answers.
Throughout the program, instructors emphasize care of natural resources and respect for private land owners. Children are urged to observe the rule, “Pack it in, pack it out,” or to do even more to protect the environment by bringing a small trash bag along on all fishing outings and packing out a little extra trash as well. They learn to behave properly as guests on private property, staying on designated paths, leaving gates open or shut as they find them, and never leaving any trash behind. They learn the importance of handling fish carefully and returning them to the water unharmed, and also the value of harvesting some fish in order to strengthen aquatic populations. Children who complete Ohio’s Passport to Fishing program are ready to embark on lifetimes of rewarding outdoor experiences in angling.
Brenda Layman - I grew up in eastern Kentucky in a family that hunted, fished, hiked, and camped regularly. Although I moved to Ohio to become a teacher ...
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