Eyes don't open much wider than when a kid catches his first fish.
A gaggle of fourth-graders reeled in their first-ever catch at Lake Windsor in Bella Vista, thanks to a fishing trip hosted by the Bella Vista Fly Tyers.
Take a kid fishing
Here are a few tips for taking youngsters fishing.
• Keep it simple. A trip to a local pond or lake for bluegills is a good start. Worms are a nearly fool-proof bait.
• Keep it short. An hour or so is long enough. After that, a youngster is ready to throw rocks, explore the shoreline or try out the playground.
• Make sure the weather is perfect. Don’t take a kid fishing if it’s raining, windy, too cold or too hot.
• Be a real hero. Bring snacks. Lots of snacks.
— Staff report
Some of the students from R.E. Baker Elementary in Bentonville hadn't felt the tap-tap-tap of a fish. Others were experienced young anglers when they fished with the fly tyers on Sept. 30.
The men threaded worms on hooks, attached bobbers and helped the students cast a line into the lake. Fishing was good on the sunny Friday. Bobbers disappeared, and kids frantically reeled in their catches, mostly bluegill and other colorful sunfish.
The Fly Tyers have been hosting the outing for more than 10 years, said Gary Henderson, one of the organizers. The club takes R.E. Baker students fishing for two days in the fall and two in the spring at Lake Windsor or Lake Avalon, both Bella Vista impoundments.
The school furnishes the rods, reels and life jackets. Each student dons a life vest before heading to the shoreline or a dock to catch fish. The Fly Tyers make sure the vests are buckled and fit right.
Fourth-grader Seth Shuck landed a monster bluegill any fisherman would be proud to catch and extolled the virtues of fishing while posing for a picture.
"It's a sport you can have fun doing with your family," he said.
A grand time was had by all judging from the whoops, hollers and grins from the kids. Little did the students know they were learning, too. That's an object of the trip for teachers like Julie Zimmerly, who teaches fourth-grade math and science at R.E. Baker.
"The kids take measurements of their fish, and when we go back they compare their measurements," she said.
There are other activities during the outing besides fishing.
"There's a writing station where they write poetry about what they've seen. We have an art station," she said.
Students sing songs about nature and take a hike on the Tanyard Creek Nature Trail near the lake.
The school uses the outdoors as a classroom elsewhere, Zimmerly added. Teachers and students go on field trips to Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area and other outdoor locales.
Students fished from the shore or fishing docks at Lake Windsor. On the spring trip, the Fly Tyers take students out on the lake in pontoon boats. Member Tom Diepenbrock said it's a big time for the kids.
"We let them drive the boat, and we'll turn on the stereo. Then a couple of us will go up to the bow and do a little dance," Diepenbrock said.
Kayleigh Peoples was another fourth-grader who caught a bluegill.
"It's fun to go to school and go fishing," she said. "Sometimes I fish at Lake Bentonville. We can enjoy the lake and catch some fish, too."
Fourth-grader Eve Reagan likes fishing with her grandpa.
"It's fun because he makes jokes about it. And when I catch one, he examines it and. if it's good. we take it home and eat it. I love fish," she said.
The Bella Vista Fly Tyers tie flies, for sure, but it's an all-around club for anyone interested in fishing. They take fishing trips and do conservation work around Bella Vista.
Fishing trips with the R.E. Baker students aren't their only outreach to young people. They also teach fly tying to high school students in Rogers and Bentonville.
Flip Putthoff can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAFlip
Sports on 10/25/2016