KETCHUM, Okla. This year the Kids All-American Fishing Derby program will take its fishing events beyond the lakes and rivers of the United States. Casting across the world's two biggest ponds, the Atlantic and Pacific, organizers have scheduled derbies for 2003 at U.S. military bases in Japan, Korea, Germany and England.
Hooked on Fishing Int'l (HOFI) of Ketchum, Okla. announced that fishing derbies are being planned for the young anglers whose parents are stationed at U.S. Air Force bases in Mildenhall and Lakenheath, England; in Yokota and Okinawa, Japan; in Osan, Korea; and in Gembach, Germany.
"More derbies in international venues may be announced later", said Gordon Holland, executive director. But even as the international schedule expands, so does the U.S. schedule. Holland said the world's largest fishing program will schedule more than 1,700 individual fishing derbies this year in all 50 states for up to 300,000 young anglers aged 6 to 16. As with the U.S. derbies, Hooked on Fishing will rely on parents and other adult volunteers at the U.S. Air Force bases to help manage the derbies in England, Japan, Germany and Korea. In the U.S., the organization enjoys support from state fish and wildlife departments, parks and recreation departments, chambers of commerce, YMCAs, fishing clubs, scouting groups, and civic and service clubs. Additional information regarding the program can be found at the Hooked On Fishing Int'l web site, www.kids-fishing.com.