MEADOW VISTA, Calif. — With the 2011 Bassmaster Elite Series wrapped up, the top 100 anglers are having no problem filling their time in the offseason. Some are fishing Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens; others are getting ready for hunting season, and still others are taking fishing vacations.
And some, like All Star angler Skeet Reese, are taking kids fishing.
After organizing a Kids Fishing Day in Meadow Vista, Calif., that introduced several hundred youngsters to fishing in May, Reese and his wife, Kim, hosted another group of 20 youngsters on a sportfishing charter in San Francisco Bay. Click to view the Day on the Bay photo gallery.
The children were part of the “Hidden Treasures” youth group from Lorenzo Manor Elementary School, a Title I school in Hayward, Calif. Mark Fisher, director of outdoor sales for Wiley X Eyewear, and Lori Campbell, a teacher at the school who organized the group, wanted to introduce the youngsters to fishing in hopes it would motivate them to do better in school.
Reese, who is sponsored by Wiley X, volunteered to charter the 50-foot fishing boat, and he and his family joined the group. Fisher contacted friends in the industry, and many of them — including Plano Molding Co., Okuma, Top Brass Tackle, B.A.S.S and Wiley X — donated products to help the kids experience the sport of fishing.
“My involvement here started out as an outreach through my church, and Lori (Campbell) twisted my arm, so I went because I wanted to serve with the same heart as Jesus,” Fisher said. “But it didn’t take long for these kids to become like nieces and nephews, and to get to know their parents. Now they’re like family and I look forward to being with them.”
The group fished nine hours Sunday, and while they only managed a few fish for their efforts, the youngsters were excited just to be on the water.
“I wanted them to have a better day fishing than they did,” said Reese. “But many of the kids told me that it was the best day of their lives, and realizing that we were a part of something like that is really touching.”