Sports

‘Fishing Friendzy’ aims to get kids out enjoying nature at Island Lake

April 13, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

In a time where many kids are glued to their devices, Mike Slkad, founder and chief fishing officer at Fishing Friendzy Foundation, is trying to get them connected to nature by teaching them how to fish and be a part of the conservation world.

Mike started the Youth Fishing Leagues a few years ago. They take place at the Island Lake Conservation Area in Orangeville and the Ken Whillans Resource Management Area in Caledon.

Kids age eight to 13 can sign up and learn how to fish while enjoying some friendly competition on the lake.

“We started 15 years ago when we started a travelling fishing exhibit to introduce families and kids to fishing,” Mike explained. “We did the Toronto CNE for seven years and had a lot of kids at our exhibit who had never fished before. We realized there was a big gap in our fishing industry where no one was really focusing on youth programs to facilitate that need to learn and educate parents and kids. There’s a lot of one-day fishing events, but after that it’s up to the parents to take the kids. That’s why we created a fishing league. It’s based on my own childhood where I played a lot of hockey and sports, then during the summers I’d go up to the cottage and fish.”

Mike said he found a lot of opportunities for adult fishing competitions but very little for kids.

“In our society today, there’s so much technology it’s taking up all the kids time, and they’re missing other things,” Mike said. “Our connection to nature is really lacking. We created this program to help counter that. It seems every child is born with an Ipad connected to their face. They’re not outdoors riding their bikes, climbing trees, and exploring nature. We’re using one of my passions – fishing – as a tool to connect more kids to nature. We really want to create the next generation of conservationists.”

The Fishing League teaches kids the fundamentals of fishing. The program runs for four days in each session.

Each kid who signs up gets a fishing package with a jersey, fishing rod and reel, a hat, and a full stocked tackle box. There are fishing coaches who help the kids to learn proper techniques to cast their line and be successful.

Once they learn, they can start fishing. The League scores points for each type of fish that is reeled in.

“After every day we have a score sheet of catches of the day,” Mike explained. “Even though it’s a competition, it’s a friendly competition. We really don’t put a lot of pressure on the kids to do good or win.”

The program is designed for kids to learn the sport while having fun at the same time.

There is an ‘all girls’ league that runs on Saturdays beginning on May 6 at Island Lake Conservation area, as well as a league for those who require a wheelchair in July.

The Ken Whillans Conservation Area is particularly suited for wheelchair access with docks as well as level, wheelchair-accessible paths.

A co-ed league will take place at Island Lake Conservation Area beginning on Jun. 3. 

To learn more about the Fishing Friendzy Foundation, you can visit on-line at: www.fishingfriendzy.com.


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