Kids learned the ins and outs and fishing Tuesday at the Port of Orillia.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry brought its Learn to Fish program to the waterfront, with a session in the morning and another in the afternoon.
Pam McKee learned of the free event through Facebook and decided to make the trip from Duntroon with her three children.
Asked if her kids had ever been fishing, she said, “Real fishing? No.”
They have cast their lines in a friend’s stream, but Tuesday’s event gave them the full experience.
“I thought it would be something fun to do in the summer and it teaches them some skills, too,” McKee said.
The first hour focused on instruction, as kids learned about rods, reels and lures, as well as safety and sustainable practices such as catch and release.
Tourism Simcoe County and Ontario’s Lake Country were also involved in the event.
“Our goal is to get tourists to the area and we identified Learn to Fish as one of those opportunities,” said Brendan Matheson, experience development co-ordinator with Tourism Simcoe County.
It seemed to have worked, as some made the trip from Toronto just to take part in the program.
More free Learn to Fish sessions will be held throughout the summer at various locations in the province, mostly at provincial parks. Find out more here.
