Free Fishing–In 3-D!
Do you have any plans next weekend?
Allow me to float something by you. Perhaps a small red/white bobber.
National Fishing and Boating Week is June 4-12. It coincides with free fishing days for most states. On those days, anyone can fish… without a license/permit. That’s right, FREE.
Let’s compare some numbers for a cost/benefit analysis of another popular summer activity. Were you planning on taking the family to a movie? For a family of four with popcorn and drinks, you could be looking at about $40 for two hours of sedentary entertainment.
Instead, why not send the kids out in the yard to round up some free range bait? (Or, I guess you could use that $40 to buy 26 dozen night-crawlers, assuming there is already a dusty rod and reel in the corner of the garage.) Then, check your state’s free fishing dates and take advantage of potentially 48 hours of free fishing. Okay, so only about 30 of those hours are daylight… But that‘s like a quindecuple feature. (I looked it up.) And I don’t know about you but, assuming images on a flat screen can capture my attention that long, my bootie would be numb by then.
Until 16, kids get to fish for free anyway in Oklahoma but maybe parents need this incentive to give fishing a try. Or a refresher course.
I enjoy watching anglers, even “grown-ups,” light up when they reel in something flopping on the end of the line. At last year’s Oklahoma Outdoor Expo, I watched Amanda Taylor, News Anchor for Newsline 9 at a media event. Provided a spincast rod/reel combo and a small cup with a few night crawlers, she had a “fantastic time.”
Amanda used to fish with her “Grand Daddy” every summer, using a cane pole and catching her own bait.
“The best part of fishing was that it gave my Grand Daddy and me a way to bond.”
With her busy schedule, she hasn’t fished since then but, would she fish again if given the opportunity?
“Sure! But I’d want to go with friends or family to share in the experience.”
There are lots of great tips here on how to get started fishing: Where to go. What to bring. Methods to try.
Do you like Action? (“Did you see that thing jump?!”)
Drama? (“Hey, that’s my finger!”)
Comedy? (“Hey, that’s my finger!”)
Romance? (I’ll try to explain that later.)
Fishing can deliver it all. In 3-D, surround-sound glory. You can even wear polarized fishing glasses for the full, glare-blocking, greater depth perception effect. Coming soon to a body of water near you.
You Might Also Like
Andy Whitcomb
Andy is an outdoor writer (http://www.justkeepreeling.com/) and stressed-out Dad has contributed over 380 blogs to takemefishing.org since 2011. Born in Florida, but raised on banks of Oklahoma farm ponds, he now chases pike, smallmouth bass, and steelhead in Pennsylvania. After earning a B.S. in Zoology from OSU, he worked in fish hatcheries and as a fisheries research technician at OSU, Iowa State, and Michigan State.