Over the weekend, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries launched its new Get Out and Fish!program in Lafayette’s Girard Park. A fishing competition and other family friendly activities all served to celebrate a new initiative to increase the number of people with access to quality fishing.
They say video killed the radio star. Mike Wood of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says video games killed the fisherman.
“Patience is fading fast in many cases, and watching a cork or waiting for a fish to bite is difficult for any young angler.”
Wood is the director of inland fisheries. He says in the world of digital entertainment, fewer people, especially young people, are entering the world of sport fisheries.
To encourage fishing, the Get Out and Fish! program will work with communities to identify lakes in their area, stock that water with adult, ready to be caught fish, and restock them if and when the supply runs dry. It sounds a little like cheating, but the aim is to make fishing more accessible for everyone.
“In many cases we have people that aren’t exposed to fishing because they feel that they can’t go catch fish because they don’t have a boat”, explains Wood. “So all of those things we hope to appeal to those folks and let them know they that can enjoy fishing.”
The Get Out and Fish! program is starting in Lafayette and hopes to expand to Shreveport next. Move over, Xbox.