Click here to subscribe today or Login.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has been busy promoting the changes it made to the Mentored Youth Trout Day.
They increased their advertising budget to reach print, radio and social media to let people know that this year the opportunity has never been greater, and easier, to take a kid fishing.
But that’s not all.
The agency has been keeping its fingers crossed ever since they implemented changes to the program to expand it back in January.
After last year’s youth trout day had to be postponed due to a lingering winter, the PFBC is hoping that when the kid’s fishing day rolls around this year on April 11, the cold weather will be long gone.
“The participation is definitely influenced a lot by the weather,” said Walt Dietz, the PFBC’s Outreach and Education Coordinator for the Northeast Region. “We’re hoping it will be a better turnout than last year.”
Because last year’s youth day had to be moved from before the statewide opener to May 10, the program lost some of its appeal and turnout was light. While this winter has been just as challenging as last year’s, Dietz is optimistic that the ice will be gone from lakes in time for April 11.
If not, another change by the agency that opens all approved trout waters to the program will give kids and their mentors the option of fishing stocked streams if the lakes are still frozen over.
Already the agency has seen just how damaging bad weather can be to the youth program. The regional Mentored Youth Trout Day held in the southeast region on March 28 and was greeted with cold temperatures and a late season snowfall. As a result, Dietz said turnout on many of the waters he visited that day was sparse.
But rather than issue another postponement, the agency is sticking with its dates for the youth opener this year.
“You want the kids to get the first crack at it and not have to struggle with competition from other anglers on the statewide opening day,” Dietz said.
So far it looks like attendance should be up significantly over last year.
In order to participate in the Mentored Youth Trout Day, children must accompany an adult mentor who has a valid fishing license and trout stamp. Children under the age of 16 must have either a free PFBC-issued permit or a voluntary youth fishing license that costs $2.70.
According to PFBC press secretary Eric Levis, sales of both the permit and voluntary license have increased significantly over last year. As of April 1, the agency sold 4,133 voluntary licenses compared to 921 last year. Permits have increased even more – 8,094 this year compared to 1,503 in 2014.
With a week to go before the April 11 youth opener, the figures are likely to increase.
“It shows that people are interested in the program, and with the cold winter we had they’re anxious for spring,” Levis said. “Sales have been steady and the weather is turning warmer, and many of our sales of the voluntary license and the issuance of the free permits come in the days preceding the opener.”
Because all approved trout waters are open for the mentored youth day, agency staff has been busy making sure the stocking schedule isn’t delayed. Dietz said while not all waters will be stocked in time for the youth opener, such as Kitchen Creek, Harveys Lake and the Lehigh River – which will be stocked in time for the statewide opener, the agency has made sure popular spots for families will have trout. That includes local lakes such as Frances Slocum, Lake Frances and Lily Lake along with the Big Wapwallopen Creek and Harveys Creek.
While the revamped program offers greater opportunity this year by opening all stocked waters and allowing the adult mentors to fish and keep two trout as well as the kids, there have been a few issues.
During the southeast youth opener on March 28, there were reports of adults fishing while the kids played along the bank and didn’t fish.
Dietz said that undermines the intent of the program.
“It’s a shame and that ruins it for everyone else,” he said. “The purpose of the program isn’t to have the parent fishing while the child is doing nothing. The idea is to spark that one-on-one connection between mentor and child and give them a positive fishing experience.”
And if the experience is positive, the agency believes it will lead to more interest in fishing and more license buyers in the future.
“We’re giving kids and adults the opportunity to get engaged in trout fishing, and as the years go on we’ll look at the data to see if they are becoming license buyers,” Levis said.