FLW Outdoors donation extends Alabama children’s fishing program to 2005
Alabama state officials recently hosted a “kids’ fishing rodeo” at Wheeler Lake in an effort to enrich children’s lives while helping to ensure the future of fishing.
About 200 children visited Rogersville, Alabama’s Joe Wheeler State Park June 7 for a day of fishing and fun, with the Wheeler Lake fishing rodeo being held in conjunction with Take a Kid Fishing events sponsored by area Wal-Mart stores. Park superintendent Tim Haney said participants could choose from a variety of activities designed to pique their interest in the art of angling.
“Everybody seemed to have a great time,” Haney said. “There was a lot for them to do.”
Different games and activities entertained the children, Haney said, but there was also ample opportunity to learn about angling and the environment. Pro anglers were on hand to talk to children about the sport of fishing; various government officers and parks officials stressed the importance of maintaining healthy fisheries and promoting conservation; and members of local bass-fishing clubs offered children additional information about fishing and helped put on the event.
The main event, however, was the children’s fishing rodeo, an event that has a lengthy history at Joe Wheeler State Park. The lake was stocked with more than a thousand catfish, all of which were corralled into a large net blocking them off from the main body of Wheeler Lake. Children were able test the waters with equipment and tackle provided through the program in an environment designed to boost their chances of landing a fish.
“We just want to introduce them to fishing,” Haney said. “They caught a lot of fish.”
According to Haney, the rodeo at Wheeler Lake often times provides children with their first fishing experience. It can also provide an opportunity for parents without angling experience to learn about the process. The hope, Haney said, is that the fishing rodeo can be a first step toward developing a lifelong pastime the whole family can enjoy together.
“The parents – especially a lot of the single parents – we’ll try to teach them the basics of fishing,” Haney said. “The long-range goal – to tie it into what Take a Kid Fishing is all about – is to give them a gift that will last them the rest of their lives.”
A donation made by FLW Outdoors in 2002 allowed state park officials to resurrect the children’s fishing program after it had been on hiatus for a couple years due to lack of funds. The donation – made by FLW Outdoors through the FishAmerica Foundation, the conservation arm of the American Sportfishing Association – also helped to pay for this year’s event.
“There’s a fair amount of expense to have the event – to get the fish, bait and everything they need to fish,” Haney said.
Pond-raised channel catfish are hauled in and released within the block-off net in Wheeler Lake. This year 1,100 pounds of catfish were used. Personnel from several state agencies, state park officials and members of the Rogersville Optimist Club put in countless hours preparing for the children’s fishing rodeo and putting it on.
Once the children’s event is over, the catfish are released into the greater body of the lake, which can lead to better fishing opportunities for all kinds of anglers. Haney said the extra catfish are especially enjoyed by the anglers who fish along the banks of the lake within the state park.
“For several weeks, they’ll still be catching those fish,” he said.
FLW Outdoors contributed another $5,000 to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in the wake of the 2003 Wal-Mart FLW Tour’s Forrest Wood Open held on Wheeler Lake June 18-21. The donation will extend the life of the children’s fishing rodeo at Wheeler Lake.
“That should take us out probably another two years – 2004 and 2005,” Haney said.
FLW Outdoors’ donations, administered through FishAmerica, go toward conservation efforts to benefit tournament host sites.
“It’s a great thing that FLW and Wal-Mart and FishAmerica do,” Haney said. “Every time there’s an FLW Outdoors tournament, there’s an immediate economic return for the community hosting it. But these donations are doing something to benefit the local community and its fishery even after [tournament anglers and organizers] leave.”
In 2000, FLW Outdoors announced its partnership with the FishAmerica Foundation. Since then, FLW Outdoors has directly donated nearly $200,000 and helped to generate more than $1 million for local conservation projects. As it has in the past, FLW Outdoors is donating $5,000 at each of its seven Wal-Mart FLW Tour events in 2003 as well as at a variety of its other sanctioned tournaments.
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