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Hooking kids on fishing

Instead of picking up dinner at a grocery store, parents on the West Shore can send their kids to catch dinner at the lake.

Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C. is offering free fishing lessons at Lake Ida Anne in Langford over the spring and summer.

“It will cover basic level angling instruction,” said Tanya Laird, outreach assistant of Freshwater Fisheries of B.C.

A two-hour seminar will cover fish identification and biology, as well as proper ways to operate fishing gear and handle fish.

“They will learn not to hold the fish by the gills and to hold it under the belly on the base by the tail,” Laird said.

The first hour will cover the education component and the second hour is spent fishing.

“We want to introduce youth and their families to fishing because they are the stewards of our resources in the future,” Laird said.

The program is available for children five to 15 years old. Once a child is 16 years old they require a fishing licence.

“Fishing gets us out of the house, and we can spend time together,” Colwood father Chad Scheidt said while fishing with kids at Lake Ida Anne.

“It’s really fun getting bites and watching the fish jump up out of the water,” said Scheidt’s son Hunter, 11. “Even if you don’t catch anything, you still had fun trying to catch something.”

Lake Ida Anne and various other lakes on the West Shore are “stocked heavily with rainbow trout,” Laird said.

“To get to these lakes the majority of people travel only about 15 minutes,” Laird said. “You don’t need to travel very far to get great fish.”

Adult supervision is mandatory at the events.

“The adults rig the rods,” Laird said. “Everyone always learns something, even the grandpa who has been fishing for years.”

Fishing rods and gear is supplied by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C.  The Learn to Fish operates rain or shine.

The program is free of charge but registration is required through West Shore Park and Recreation at 250-478-8384. The next program is offered June 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lake Ida Anne near Treanor Avenue at Ashley Place.

reporter@goldstreamgazette.com