New Hampshire’s “Let’s Go Fishing” Seeks Volunteer Fishing Instructors
OutdoorHub 11.02.12
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s “Let’s Go Fishing” program is in need of avid anglers looking to give back to their community and share their love of the great sport of fishing. The program is currently seeking volunteer instructors to teach ice fishing, fly fishing or basic fishing to youth and adults.
Registration has opened for instructor training sessions, which are a requirement for becoming certified as a Let’s Go Fishing instructor. Training is free. To sign up you must print out and return a Let’s Go Fishing volunteer application form, which can be found on the Fish and Game website at http://www.fishnh.com/Fishing/lets_go_fishing_volunteers.htm or request by calling 603-271-3212 or emailing aquatic-ed@wildlife.nh.gov. Applications must be received by Wednesday, November 21, to reserve your spot in the training.
Those being certified must attend both an overview training session and at least one specialty training class. The overview session will cover the ins and outs of the N.H. Fish and Game Department and the Let’s Go Fishing program, as well teaching practices and principles. The specialty sessions focus on the specific programs presented — ice fishing, fly fishing, or basic fishing; these are hands-on experiences where prospective instructors are put through an abbreviated “real life” Let’s Go Fishing course. Topics covered include ethics, pond ecology, rules and regulations, equipment and safety. Instructors must attend the specialty training session for each course topic they wish to teach.
The Let’s Go Fishing program will hold the first half of the two-part certification training for new fishing instructors on Saturday, December 1, 2012, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Owl Brook Hunter Education Center, 387 Perch Pond Road, Holderness N.H. Lunch is provided. This class is required for all new instructors.
All instructors also must attend the second half of the certification training for the specific type of course they will be teaching, as listed below. These training sessions take place from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Owl Brook Hunter Education Center, 387 Perch Pond Road, Holderness N.H. Lunch is provided.
- Basic Fishing: Sunday, December 2, 2012
- Ice Fishing: Saturday, January 12, 2013
- Fly Fishing: Sunday, January 13, 2013
After completing the training, participants have the chance to join an existing team of volunteer fishing instructors who present programs across the state. The Let’s Go Fishing program also offers: saltwater fishing, fly tying and saltwater fly fishing.
Thousands of children and adults have learned to be safe, ethical and successful anglers through the Let’s Go Fishing program. The program is federally funded through the Sport Fish Restoration Program — a true user-pay, user-benefit program.
