The Kids Let’s Go Fishing! program gets underway this summer with two fishing initiatives designed to encourage ethical angling for future generations.
The University of Florida/IFAS Miami-Dade Cooperative Extension Sea Grant Program, in partnership with the Fishing and Conservation Trust (FCT), will bring back the family fishing phenomenon, Kids Fish Fridays. For more advanced anglers, there is a one-time weeklong fishing camp.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission-sponsored, Kids Let’s Go Fishing! Summer Camp, is offered July 13-17 at the Bayside Marketplace, Slip 24, 401 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, 33021. This five-day camp includes morning instruction followed by afternoons of fishing aboard the 56-foot Coast Guard-approved Reward Won. Campers will learn about ethical angling and conservation, boat safety, knot tying, tackle, fish identification and anatomy, and more.
Camp enrollment is open for children ages 8-13. Each five-day session is limited to 20 attendees. The cost is $400 per session, and a portion of the proceeds will go to the FCT, a 501(c)3 Florida not-for-profit corporation, to fund fishing events for the underserved communities of Miami-Dade County. An early camp registration discount of $50 is available through June 30.
The Kids Fish Fridays family-friendly fishing trips encourage parents and kids to share the wonderful activity of fishing. Trips continue weekly at 1:45 p.m. through Aug. 14 from the Miami Beach Marina, 300 Alton Road, Dock A, aboard the Reward Fleet. The trips are open to children ages 6 and up and they must be accompanied by an adult. First child is free with an adult entrance fee of $50, and each additional child pays $10.
To register call Reward Fleet at 305- 372-9470, or for more information call Lisa Krimsky, University of Florida/IFAS Sea Grant Agent, at 305-421-4017 or send email to lkrimsky@ufl.edu
