Free Kids’ Fishing Events Scheduled for Late May, Early June

Kids will be able to fish for free and win prizes at 40 special kids fishing events scheduled across N.C. during late May and early une.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Kids can fish for free and cast for some fun fishing prizes at one of 40 kids’ fishing events scheduled for late May and early June.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, along with Neuse Sport Shop, Bass Pro Shops, the U.S. Forest Service and local sponsors, are supporting these fishing events as part of National Fishing and Boating Week 2008.

Anglers 15 and younger participating in any of the events listed below can register to win a variety of prizes, such as rods, reels, spools of fishing line and tackle boxes, courtesy of Bass Pro Shops and the Wildlife Resources Commission. The grand prize, donated by Neuse Sport Shop located in Kinston, is a lifetime saltwater/freshwater fishing license, valued at $455.

Local sponsors for many events will provide prizes and gifts to registered participants as well.

To increase the chances that participants will catch fish, the Commission is stocking fish at many of the sites before the events.

“The Commission will stock trout in the mountains and channel catfish and bluegill in Piedmont and Coastal ponds and lakes,” said Bob Curry, the chief of the Commission’s Division of Inland Fisheries. “Supplemental stockings are all about making fishing more fun because they help kids catch more fish. The more fish kids catch, the more fun
they have and the more likely they are to make fishing a lifelong hobby.”

The agency will conduct a drawing for prizes at the end of June and will publish a list of winners on its Web site. The grand prize winner will be featured in the Commission’s magazine, Wildlife in North Carolina.

National Fishing and Boating Week, coordinated each year in June by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, gives children and their families an opportunity to learn about conserving aquatic resources while enjoying the thrill of fishing and boating.

“Introducing children to fishing and boating puts them outside and into nature,” said Russell Rhodes, president of Neuse Sport Shop. “These activities are wholesome, fun and infectious. Programs like the National Fishing and Boating Week yield a better understanding of our environment and add to the number of people that will return to these activities in the future.”

For more information on National Fishing and Boating Week, visit the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation’s Web site, http://www.rbff.org/. For additional information on fishing in North Carolina’s public, inland waters, visit http://www.ncwildlife.org/pg03_Fishing/pg3.htm or call the agency’s Division of Inland Fisheries, (919) 707-0220.

Events are free unless otherwise noted.