Kid's Fishing Day at Bennett Spring State Park

Some of my favorite memories that I have from my childhood involve fishing.  I was taught to fish by my dad, my dad's dad, and my mom's mom.  I remember digging up worms with my grandma Mason on her farm and catching channel cats in the pond behind her house.  I remember my dad helping me get beetle spin lures our of trees around farm ponds when we fished for largemouth bass.  I remember fishing for trout and catfish towards the end of his life.  Figuratively speaking, it is kind of in my blood from both sides of the family.  

Taking a kid fishing can create lifelong memories for both you and the child.  In my opinion, it is important to pass on information and skills to the next generation for a couple of reasons.  For starters, you probably gained the skills you have because someone else taught them to you.  Second, I think it is important to pass along skills to someone else because of the fact that someone took the time to share them with you.  In other words, I think it is our responsibility to pass along knowledge that we gain because it enriches the lives of others and, hopefully, makes our world a better place.

So if you want to take a kid fishing, here is a good opportunity for you.  On Saturday, May 2, Bennett Spring State Park is hosting a Kids Free Fishing Day.  Kids 15 and younger can fish for free without the purchase of a daily permit.  Special zones will be set up for kids so they can fish with other anglers of their age and ability levels.  I suspect that the Missouri Department of Conservation just might make sure that there is a healthy population of fish in those spots as well, but that's just a guess.

If you're not able to attend the event for some reason, I would encourage you to take a kid fishing at some point this year.  Heck, it doesn't even have to be your own kid.  I have the privilege to sponsor an after school fly fishing club for middle schoolers.  We have created some incredible memories this school year and we have our last fishing trip tomorrow evening.  It is a bitter sweet moment as I get to share the water with them one last time, and I hope that their interest in fly fishing doesn't end after tomorrow.  The character, Yoda, from the Star Wars movie franchise once stated, "We are what they grow beyond."  I like that quote and I hope that is true, especially when it comes to fishing.  I wish my grandparents could see the angler that I have become because they would see the fruits of their labors and how they instilled a passion for fishing in me that might not have come to pass without their efforts.