National Fishing and Boating Week (NFBW) occurs each year during the first week of June. This year’s date for NFBW begins today June 2 and runs through June 10. NFBW was initiated by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation Take Me Fishing program. To see all the events taking place during NFBW go to www.georgiawildlife.com and search on National Fishing and Boating Week.

Between June 2-June 9 any Georgia resident can fish without a license in all Georgia waters including trout waters and all Georgia Wildlife Management Areas and Public Fishing Areas. School is out and this is a great time to take a child fishing or to introduce a child to fishing for the first time. I look forward to school being out because it is at that time when several of my grandchildren come to go fishing.

In addition to the weeklong NFBW week, Georgia offers numerous programs for Children this summer. One great event for children is the Summer Fishing Day Camp at the Go Fish Education Center in Perry. One session will occur on June 12-14; 9:30 a.m.-12:30 a.m. and the second session is scheduled June 26-28; 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. 

The deadline to register for the first session is June 8 and the deadline for the second session is June 22. Cost for the camp is $75 which includes admission to the Go Fish Education Center, education instruction and use of equipment and bait.

Additionally, the entire family can enjoy a trip during the summer to the Go Fish Education Center. The Go Fish Education Center opened in October 2010 and I have taken several of my grandchildren there for the last several years and they and I have had some great times. 

The center has 180,000 gallons of aquariums loaded with species of Georgia fish and wildlife including alligators. It also has films and displays, laser gun ranges, a fish simulator where you can fight a marlin or a largemouth bass and a bass boat simulator. 

There is a fishing pond that is stocked with bream, hybrid bass, catfish and other fish species for the children to catch and release. Rods, reels and bait are provided and the fish bite non-stop. There is always excitement all around the pond as children catch fish and they closely look the fish over before releasing the fish back into the pond. 

You can view a working fish hatchery where various species of fish including hybrid and stripers are raised. The Go Fish Education Center is an absolutely great place to take a child and introduce that child to fishing.

If you have not taken your child or grandchild to the Go Fish Education Center, you need to put it on your calendar. The facility is open on Wednesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1-5 p.m. 

Cost for grandchildren ages 3-12 is $5, the adult cost is $7 for ages 13 and above and the Senior Citizens and the active military rate is $6. To find out more about the Go Fish Education Center visit their website at www.gofisheducationcenter.org.

 

If you have a boat, children would love a day of fishing from a boat. One technique that is excellent now that the largemouth bass have finished spawning is targeting the fish with a Carolina rig. The Carolina rig is easy for children to master and can be used on equipment as inexpensive as a ZEBCO closed face reel or a baitcasting reel depending on the child’s ability to cast and retrieve. Strikes on the Carolina rig are easy to detect and my grandchildren from the age of four and up have been able to master the Carolina rig to catch fish.

The largemouth bass in both Lake Sinclair and Lake Oconee are currently located near banks, near boathouses and especially in water from 4-14 feet deep on points and ledges near deeper water. June is an ideal time to find largemouth bass in those type locations. 

As the weather warms the Carolina rig only gets better and the weatherman says the outlook for warmer weather just ahead is good. Warmer weather also has a downside so make sure the children are properly clothed and apply sunscreen liberally to protect them from sunburn.

I have grandchildren coming shortly for a visit and I know the Go Fish Education Center is on their list of things to do along with some Carolina rig fishing out on the lake. When you take a child fishing, you might find out that you enjoy the trip just as much if not more than the child. I know that I always do. Good fishing and see you next week.