NEWS &
NOTES
BOY SCOUTS, FLW, ZEBCO HOST BROOKLYN YOUTH FISHING DERBY
t
By Curtis Niedermier
PHOTOS BY CURTIS NIEDERMIER
he Boy Scouts of America, FLW and Zebco recently hosted more
than 250 kids and 200 adults for a youth fishing derby in
Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. The event, called Brooklyn Fishing
Day, was part of the Scouts’ Hooked on Scouting campaign and was
organized to give urban youth and their family an introduction to
both fishing and Scouting.
Zebco provided a free rod and reel for every child, and DMF Bait
Co. supplied several cases of worms. FLW even set up its Ranger
Boats simulator and conducted a weigh-in where kids could weigh
their biggest individual fish. Amaya Edmond of Brooklyn won the
derby and a trophy with a 10-ounce crappie that narrowly edged out
DJ Smart’s 9-ounce catfish. Other species caught included large-
mouth bass, yellow perch and bluegills.
FLW Tour pros Tom Redington and Grae Buck assisted other vol-
unteers with baiting hooks, landing fish and untangling lines.
“Most of them had maybe been fishing once, if ever,” says
Redington of the participants. “It was all about the basics of how to
put the worm on, how to cast it – everything. It’s pretty neat to see
somebody who’s never fished before, never even picked up a fishing
rod, have that experience that all of a sudden they catch that fish and
totally light up.”
Representatives from the Scouts say that they plan to arrange
future fishing derbies like this one to try and keep recent participants
interested in fishing, and to recruit new members. But mostly,
Brooklyn Fishing Day was about offering fun outdoor experiences for
kids and families that otherwise might not have them.
“My overall goal was to give kids in Brooklyn a great experience,” says
Markus Olvet, Brooklyn field director for the Scouts, who led event
organization efforts on a local level. “That’s the No. 1 thing, and that’s
what Scouting is about.”
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FLWFISHING.COM I auGuSt-SepteMber 2017