Angler education workshops set for Jan. 30 and Feb. 2

MADISON – Fly fishers and other anglers can help get kids off the couch and out fishing Wisconsin’s lakes and streams by attending workshops Jan. 30 and Feb. 2 on starting youth fishing programs.

Department of Natural Resources angler education workshops set for Jan. 30 in Oshkosh and Feb. 2 in Stevens Point are aimed at training volunteer instructors who can then offer programs in their own communities. Participants will hear how to introduce children to basic fishing skills and provide information on Wisconsin lakes and streams, says Theresa Stabo, DNR aquatic resources educator. Participants also receive instructional materials to help them start their own program, and access to DNR loaner equipment.

“We need to coax kids outside and away from their electronic gadgets. We want to help them make that important connection to the natural world,” Stabo says. “Through the DNR's angler education fishing program, we want kids to think of wetting a line as a viable choice for spending their free time and to cultivate a passion for protecting fisheries and other aquatic resources.”

Fishing programs provide a recreational link to learning about local waters. Ideally, adults who attend this workshop will form partnerships to help provide kids with repeatable fishing opportunities through school studies and clubs, Stabo says.

The Feb. 2 workshop is a fly fishing instructor certification session and represents a partnership with Trout Unlimited. Stabo will be joined as an instructor by Dennis Vanden Bloomen, UW-Stout fly fishing instructor and president of the Wisconsin Clear Waters Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

Details on the two workshops are provided below. The workshops are free of charge and include lunch or dinner, however, there is a $15 workshop commitment fee to ensure good attendance by registrants. Registration forms and more information are available on the DNR Web site.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Theresa Stabo (608) 266-2272 or Rachel Piacenza (608) 261-6431