Perhaps I should say Best Day Of NOT fishing this year.  I went fishing at 9am Sat. morning. When I arrived at the river there were a bunch of kids (about 9 to 15 years old), and one adult at the spot I planned on fishing. I watched them for a few minutes and realized that they were a group from The Racker Center, which is a local organization that works with mentally and physically disadvantaged persons, mostly under the age of 21, but they accept older clients if the need is there. Anyway, I realized that the supervising adult, while trying hard, knew next to nothing about fishing. I also realized that the tackle the kids had was pretty awful. I asked the supervisor how long they planned to be there and he said at least another 2 hours.  I was only 15 minutes from home, so home I went. I grabbed up a bunch of my old rods and reels (some spincast, some spinning). They were all older and at most moderately priced when new, but they were all in decent shape, as I keep them ready for when my nephews come by. Back to the river I went. By the time I arrived, the kids were just about in tears or angry from frustration and the supervisor was losing his mind. He and I distributed the rods and reels among the kids, and I spent the next hour and a half instructing the kids on how to use them. Nothing fancy, just your basic "get the line in the water" bobber and bait fishing. When the kids got the hang of it, they had a blast catching bluegill, sunnies, rock bass, and even a couple of small bass. The supervisor kept the kids hydrated, tied on hoods and sinkers as needed, baited hooks for them, and unhooked fish that were caught. All the fish were released, and the kids thought that was great as they didn't want to hurt the fish. The kids took turns using the different rods and reels until they found a set up that worked best for them. After a couple hours, the organizations bus came to pick them up. The kids were very tired but very happy. Every one of them gave me a hug before they got on the bus. I donated the rods and reels to the organization and offered my services to help the kids fish again in the future. It was without a doubt the best day "fishing" I have had this year. 

This is awesome.  God bless you! 

KH is the best.

Stellar.

Actually, I really think it was maybe a bit selfish. I am pretty sure I had more fun than the kids did. Watching them reminded me that fishing is supposed to be fun, and maybe I have been taking it a bit too seriously lately. 

On 7/23/2023 at 12:42 AM, Kirtley Howe said:

Perhaps I should say Best Day Of NOT fishing this year.  I went fishing at 9am Sat. morning. When I arrived at the river there were a bunch of kids (about 9 to 15 years old), and one adult at the spot I planned on fishing. I watched them for a few minutes and realized that they were a group from The Racker Center, which is a local organization that works with mentally and physically disadvantaged persons, mostly under the age of 21, but they accept older clients if the need is there. Anyway, I realized that the supervising adult, while trying hard, knew next to nothing about fishing. I also realized that the tackle the kids had was pretty awful. I asked the supervisor how long they planned to be there and he said at least another 2 hours.  I was only 15 minutes from home, so home I went. I grabbed up a bunch of my old rods and reels (some spincast, some spinning). They were all older and at most moderately priced when new, but they were all in decent shape, as I keep them ready for when my nephews come by. Back to the river I went. By the time I arrived, the kids were just about in tears or angry from frustration and the supervisor was losing his mind. He and I distributed the rods and reels among the kids, and I spent the next hour and a half instructing the kids on how to use them. Nothing fancy, just your basic "get the line in the water" bobber and bait fishing. When the kids got the hang of it, they had a blast catching bluegill, sunnies, rock bass, and even a couple of small bass. The supervisor kept the kids hydrated, tied on hoods and sinkers as needed, baited hooks for them, and unhooked fish that were caught. All the fish were released, and the kids thought that was great as they didn't want to hurt the fish. The kids took turns using the different rods and reels until they found a set up that worked best for them. After a couple hours, the organizations bus came to pick them up. The kids were very tired but very happy. Every one of them gave me a hug before they got on the bus. I donated the rods and reels to the organization and offered my services to help the kids fish again in the future. It was without a doubt the best day "fishing" I have had this year. 

Best story of the Year! Memories that will last a lifetime for the kids and for you!

It's great when you can take something you love and pass it on to others. Congratulations and awesome them you stepped in and helped them out.

 

Stuff like this is why I have the kids fishing program at my hotel. 

@Kirtley Howe you made my wife cry with this story. Thanks for being ready and willing to help out. The world needs more people like you. God bless!

Good on you @Kirtley Howe. God bless ya!!!