At ages 6 and 7, cousins Lyle Gardner and Joshua Hardenten are avid fishermen .... and their parents are delighted. Their mom, Myron Hardenten from Metere, LA says, "Fishing will get them interested in something so they don't get interested in bad things. It's something wholesome and something fun."
Thousands of other parents are also using fishing's fun to teach their children good values and a love of the outdoors. The appeal crosses age, sex and color lines.
Almost three quarters of a million children have competed in the national CastingKids program, where kids cast lures at targets, in the last six seasons. Hundreds of thousands more follow the professional fishing circuits. Thousands came out for an autograph session with the pros the day before the Classic
Danny James from Burknett, Texas drove all night from Texas to bring his boys and their friend here to meet the pros. "It's a good clean sport, something for kids to do instead of a lot of this other stuff. It's just a great thing to be involved with."
Professional fishing has a kind of family feel as well. Fans get many chances to meet pro anglers and get to know them. National CastingKids director Don Cochran says, "We don't have the people who are charging for autographs and we don't have the pro fisherman who are too good or don't have enough time for their fans .... they still thrive on that."
Sometimes, it's not parents who are teaching the value of fishing. Kids sometime use the fun to convince their moms and dads to get involved. Once they bite, they're hooked.
Parent Patty Rowe agrees. "It's so exciting when you get that fish on the hook .... on the line, your line is moving and you reel him in and there he is, ah ...I caught a fish ... I caught a fish!"
So whether you're a parent or an avid young angler, get your family involved in bass fishing. It's a wholesome family activity that builds good character and strong values.
