3 Key Takeaways from National Fishing and Boating Week 2019

Fishing, Freelance / By

This National Fishing and Boating Week, I did my part to introduce some new people to fishing and learned more about boating best practices.

It was held from June 1-9, 2019. It’s largely put on to introduce new folks to fishing, boating, and the Great Outdoors. It’s perfectly timed with Great Outdoors Month, too. How awesome is that?

I’ve participated in this week since 2013-2014, just after I moved to the Washington, D.C. metro area. Most celebrations offer “Free Fishing Days” sans licenses, though I have my license. For newbies, though, this is a great introduction to the sport—especially if they catch a fish at these events. Luring in prospective anglers with “free” fishing events usually inspires people to get licenses afterwards. At minimum, it should.

Here’s what I was up to this past week:

1. I was able to learn more about boating with Yamaha Outboards in St. Michael’s, MD.

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I thoroughly enjoyed my time at @yamahaoutboards ‘ Media Event here on Maryland’s Eastern Shore! Learned A LOT about boating and was able to test some cool products and outboards. Plus, I caught and released this juvenile striper today though fishing conditions weren’t ideal. However, a fish is a fish. This is one of my favorite species to target. I loved riding a @worldcat_boats today too as it withstood and cut through some choppy waters. I’ll have an extensive report for @sportingclassicsofficial documenting the full experience very soon. Hope you’re having a good National Fishing and Boating Week, everyone! • • • @poma_hq @garminmarine @worldcat_boats @yamahaoutdoors @discoverboating #chesapeakebay #chesapeakebaylife #takemefishing #allaboutthatbass #stripedbass #striper #makingwaves #getyourfishon #tugisthedrug #whyiconserve #womenwhofish #reellove #stripedbassfishing #hookedonfishing #nationalfishingandboatingweek #greatoutdoorsmonth #mdinfocus #marylandfishing #visitmaryland #catchandrelease #fishingisconservation #fishingtrip #sportfishing #discoverboating #boating #boatinglife #yamaha #yamahaoutboards #worldcatboats #yamahafanfoto

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2. My dad and I (especially him) helped some kids catch some largemouth bass and sunfish, while I helped a friend, Neetu, land her first fish EVER in Lake Cook in Alexandria, VA.

3. And I visited TakeMeFishing.org’s adorable, eye-catching “Off-The-Hook” pop-up in Burke Lake in Fairfax Station, VA. You can see where it’ll be charting to next here.

Marketing efforts for this week were perfectly targeted too. Corporations, non-profits, and governmental organizations all chipped in to generate enthusiasm for NFBW—to great success. Perhaps the most effect campaign was TakeMeFishing’s #GetYourFishOn hashtag.

 

First-hand fishing experiences do make a difference

Like most things in life, practice makes perfect.

Getting people to try fishing firsthand—from opening/closing the bail to casting to reeling in a fish—helps non-consumptive users learn all about the sport. If a new participant sees some action on their first fishing trip, chances are they will like the experience. Not that a fish catch is ever guaranteed, but it’s an added bonus when a new person gets some action early on in their fishing journey.

Even “the one that gets away” keeps newbies, particularly adult onset anglers, interested. That’s what I saw in two friends recently. My friend Matthew, who grew up near Baltimore, Maryland, had limited fishing exposure, and helped a guy net a carp at Devil’s Backbone County Park in western Maryland on Memorial Day. His enthusiasm was so contagious and palpable, as you can see in the video. He said he wants to go on more trips in the future. My friend Neetu, from upstate New York, was perfectly positioned to  reel in her first catch—a decent-sized channel catfish—at Lake Cook just outside Old Town Alexandria. She was so excited and expressed to me she wants to do this more. Mission accomplished!

That’s two friends hooked on fishing in 2019. Woohoo!

Yes, you can fish in an urban area— and with success

There’s no excuse not to go fishing–especially if you live in an urban area. In fact, many urban outposts are in very close proximity to rivers, lakes, streams, and in some cases, the ocean.

As more people descend to the cities, it’ll become increasingly evident city dwellers will try to find refuge in fishing if they haven’t already. Urban fishing spots are becoming  increasingly common; it’s just a matter of where to go, what your target species is, and what rules/regulations apply.

Here in the DC Metro area, fly fishing is very popular for Millennials—especially those who are new to the sport. Orvis Fly Fishing shops have sprouted about here, as have Mom and Pop fly angling shops. Bass Pro Shops is about an hour’s drive from DC proper in Hanover, Maryland, while the closest Cabela’s is about a 45-minute to hour drive from downtown D.C. Heck, even WALMART has a great selection on fishing tackle, rods, and reels. Chances are these stores are in your area too!

In many cities and the surrounding areas you can fish for a multitude of fish species nearby or within a few hours driving distance: largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, striped bass, carp, catfish, sunfish, shad, and countless other species. You can find a similar environment in Boston and even New York City, for instance. To see what species are near your city, visit TakeMeFishing.org to see what’s biting where and to learn more about unique opportunities in your backyard.

New experiences had and important lessons reinforced

While National Fishing and Boating Week is largely catered to get new participants, it’s a chance for us seasoned anglers to polish our craft and to create some new memories too.

I haven’t done much in boating before, so when an opportunity came my way, I couldn’t pass it up. (More on my Yamaha experience will be documented at Sporting Classics Daily in the coming weeks.) In addition to getting friends or people nearby my fishing spots, especially kids, their “First Catches” or new species checked off their list, I enjoyed exploring new places to fish and new memories made.

Although my dad and I had a nice catfish haul at Lake Cook, we sadly couldn’t fry up our catches because they tasted like oil. Boo. It must have been our proximity to a nearby WMATA/Metro Station where something seeped into the water and tainted the catfish. (Or their being bottom-feeding fish added insult to injury. Yikes!) Other people have said when the trout program is in full swing, those fish are okay to eat and taste fine. Oh well. Lesson learned.

You also reinforce the idea of following rules and regulations. In both my Maryland and Virginia fishing trips this past week, I did my best to practice catch-and-release or stay within the confides of creel limits. It’s important to protect and conserve our resources so people can enjoy them for future generations.

Did this post inspire you to try fishing for the first time? Have you also introduced someone new to fishing too? Let me know!

 

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