The best experiences that provide the deepest feeling of a good job well done are when I teach kids to experience fishing and nature in general.
I’m fortunate to teach fishing for Santa Barbara City College (Extended Learning program), serve as a fishing seminar speaker at various industry trade shows, write for Western Outdoor News and Pacific Coast Sportfishing magazine, and teach people about fishing at my bait-and-tackle shop, Hook, Line & Sinker at 4010 Calle Real, Santa Barbara.
I had an experience over the weekend, however, that dwarfed many other experiences and humbled me
I worked with my daughter, Capt. Tiffany Vague to host a fishing clinic at Goleta Pier for two dozen Girl Scouts. Those kids were awesome, and they brought along some equally awesome parents who were very helpful. Working with my daughter has always been and continues to be a highlight of my life.
I have a bait-and-tackle shack on Goleta Pier and on some days, I look out the window and see rods bending with fish all along the pier. On other days, there isn’t a bent rod for hours. On this day, the fishing action was on the quiet side, so mostly the girls got to practice fishing instead of catching. But there were fish hooked and the kids (and parents) got very excited.
Even with the fish not exactly swarming our Sabiki hooks, the kids got really into learning about the rods and reels and tackle. They learned about the water, and enjoyed their camaraderie on the pier, which some of them had never been on. All-in-all, I had to respect those scouts as smart kids keenly interested in learning and gaining experiences.
The California Department of Fish & Wildlife was kind and smart enough to give us a good supply of informative and entertaining things to give to the Girl Scouts. Each one got a fish identification poster, a tape measure for measuring their catch, a complimentary youth fishing license and several educational information pieces.
I was able to hand the goodies out to each and every kid and take a moment to explain what they were being given.
The morning with the Girl Scouts was as much of a blessing for me as it was for the kids. I doff my well-worn hat to the management of the Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast for doing something to give the kids a learning experience about nature, wildlife management and life in the food chain.
In this day and age of personal electronics, engaging in the natural order is an extra special learning adventure and it seemed like the lessons were not lost on those great kids.
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
