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Caught on Camera

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Canadian Brass bringing variety of musical genres to Misericordia April 18

<p>Four years ago, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission implemented a program to give kids a chance to fish for trout without battling the crowds of anglers on opening day.</p><p>But when the agency gave youth anglers their own opening day of trout season, they did more than just give kids the first crack at stocked trout. The program allows young anglers the opportunity to hone their skills without dealing with crowds. That means if a line gets snagged or a cast goes astray, it&#8217;s not a problem.</p><p>After all, the PFBC&#8217;s Mentored Youth Trout Days are as much about learning as they are about catching fish.</p><p>&#8220;They can start off in a small lake where they see the trout swimming around, and that builds excitement,&#8221; PFBC spokesman Eric Levis said. &#8220;They have plenty of space to cast, and as they&#8217;re skills progress they can try trout fishing on a stream and practice that as well.&#8221;</p><p>When the mentored program began, it was only open on select waters - mainly lakes and ponds that were stocked. But in the second year, the program was expanded to include all PFBC stocked trout waters.</p><p>Levis said the expanded opportunity has created even more space for kids to fish.</p><p>&#8220;The first year with limited waters, it was tough for some people to travel to those locations to fish. It made sense to expand it,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It really spread everybody out and avoided creating those opening day conditions where anglers are shoulder-to-shoulder.&#8221;</p><p>The first Mentored Youth Trout Day of the year took place on March 25, in 18 counties in the southeastern part of the state. A second youth day will take place on April 8 - a week before the season opener on April 15, and includes the rest of the state, and just about all of the streams, lakes and rivers on the stocking schedule will be stocked by then.</p><p>The program is open to children under the age of 16, and they&#8217;re allowed to keep two trout. They also must be accompanied by an adult mentor who possess a legal fishing license and trout stamp. While adults are allowed to fish on the mentored day, they can&#8217;t keep any trout.</p><p>PFBC executive director John Arway said allowing adult mentors to fish with the kids is important because it adds to the enjoyment of day spent fishing together.</p><p>Fishing side-by-side with either a parent, sibling or friend makes the experience more memorable for a child, Arway said.</p><p>&#8220;Pennsylvania is a trout state and we have a rich history of celebrating the opening days with family and friends,&#8221; Arway said. &#8220;The mentored youth program adds another chapter to this history by focusing solely on kids. It&#8217;s an opportunity to show them that fishing if fun and to promote active outdoor recreation.&#8221;</p><p>Last year, more than 25,600 kids signed up to participate, either by purchasing a $1 voluntary youth fishing license or by acquiring a free mentored youth fishing permit.</p><p>Participation is strong again this year. As of March 28, the PFBC sold 4,883 voluntary youth licenses and 11,985 mentored youth permits, for a total of 16,868. Much of those sales were generated by the March 25 mentored day, and another boost in sales is expected leading up to the April 8 mentored day for the rest of the state.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s becoming something that anglers plan on doing with kids now,&#8221; Levis said. &#8220;Some years the weather is a bit chilly, but we still see mentors and kids out there. They want to fish.&#8221;</p><p><ins>For other sports stories, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/category/sports" target="_blank">click here</a>.</ins></p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">A trio of young anglers hold up their catch along Little Lehigh Creek in Lehigh County during the first Mentored Youth Trout Day of the year on March 25 held in the southeastern part of the state. A second Mentored Youth Day for the rest of the state will be held on April 8. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_youthanglers.jpg.jpg</photo0><caption0>A trio of young anglers hold up their catch along Little Lehigh Creek in Lehigh County during the first Mentored Youth Trout Day of the year on March 25 held in the southeastern part of the state. A second Mentored Youth Day for the rest of the state will be held on April 8. </caption0><photoCredit0>Courtesy of Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Area kids to hit waterways before official start of season</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>Take a kid fishing</strong></p><p>Mentored Youth Trout Day, April 8</p><p>&#8226; Open on any waterway stocked with trout by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission</p><p>&#8226; To participate, adult anglers (16 years or older) must have a valid fishing license and trout/salmon permit and be accompanied by a youth. Youth anglers must obtain a free PFBC-issued permit, or a voluntary youth fishing license. Both are available at <a href="http://www.GoneFishingPA.com" target="_blank">GoneFishingPA.com</a> or at any of the more than 900 licensing agents across the state.</p><p>&#8226; Kids can keep two trout, which must measure at least seven inches. Mentors must have a fishing license and trout stamp. Because the program is focused on kids, adult mentors are encouraged to fish with the children and provide encouragement and tips, but they must release their catch to the water unharmed</p><p>&#8226; For every voluntary youth license sold, the PFBC will receive approximately $5 in federal revenue from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service&#8217;s Sport Fish Restoration Act program, which provides funds to states based on a formula that includes the number of licenses a state sells. All revenues earned from a voluntary youth fishing license will be dedicated to youth fishing programs.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Mentored Youth Trout Day gives kids thier own opening day on April 8