Give the gift of fishing

Officials with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department have come up with a great way to help others get involved with fishing.

It is generally recognized that getting young people involved in the outdoors benefits them in many ways. Research shows that children who engage in outdoor activities are happier and do better in school. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Inland Fisheries biologist Spencer Dumont of Abilene has some suggestions on how to make that happen.

“Many times over the years anglers have asked me what they can do to help make fishing better,” Dumont said. “Anglers have helped by providing tournament results, assisting with habitat projects, going electrofishing with us, and a few other things. However, there is another way, one that may be more important than anything else an angler can do: Introduce someone to fishing who has never been fishing before.”

The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) is an organization whose mission is to increase participation in recreational angling and boating and thereby increase public awareness and appreciation of the need to protect, conserve and restore this nation’s aquatic natural resources.

“My favorite RBFF program is the Angler’s Legacy Program,” Dumont said. “The concept is simple: Give back what you have been given (pay forward the gift of fishing) by promising to introduce somebody to fishing.”

 The promise comes in the form of “taking the pledge” on the TAKE ME FISHING website,http://www.takemefishing.org/community/anglers-legacy/take-the-pledge.

Challenge yourself to take up the challenge and share the gift of fishing with others.

Chester Moore