HARRISBURG
It's easy to figure the price of getting a youngster started out in fishing with their own - rather than hand-me-down - gear.
For approximately $30 or less, a youngster can be outfitted with some high-quality fishing tackle, including a rod-and-reel combo - complete with terminal tackle - and a tackle box. Making a youngster feel like they're one of the gang by having their own gear is priceless, and the value of introducing a new angler to the fraternity is impossible to figure.
That's why the idea of a voluntary youth fishing license instituted this year by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is such a great idea. For $1 - actually it is $2.70 because of agent and transaction fees - youngsters ages 6-15 can have a license to display just like mom and dad, Uncle Ernie and their older siblings.
So, for less than the price of a can of Coke from a vending machine, a youngster will have a keepsake to keep the rest of their lives. This is similar to the Mentored Youth Hunting Program permits some parents purchase tykes who are too small to ever actually put them to use. Just as the Pennsylvania Game Commission benefits from the sale of those permits with federal funds for every license sold, the PFBC benefits with the sale of every voluntary youth license.
"Our primary goal is to increase youth participating in fishing by creating programs with the money we receive from the voluntary youth licenses," PFBC executive director John Arway said during the reception to kickoff this year's Great American Outdoor Show. "Increasing youth and family participation in fishing, boating and conservation programs has always been part of our strategic plan.
"This goal responds to the fact that the percentage of children and young adults ages 6 to 15 who fished in Pennsylvania in 2010 was just 24 percent, compared to 37 percent in 2005 and 41 percent in 1995. We want to continue to refine and develop programs to engage kids.
"As an added benefit to the youth license is federal funding, which accounts for approximately 25 percent of our budget. For every youth license sold, we will receive approximately $5 in federal revenue from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Sport Fish Restoration Act program, which provides funds to states based on a formula that includes the number of licenses a state sells."
The 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation reported that 367,000 children and young adults ages 6-15 fished in Pennsylvania in 2010. And, while the purchase of a youth license is strictly voluntary, the potential impact of the sales is impressive.
"If only 25 percent of the 367,000 children from the 2011 survey were to purchase a voluntary $1 license, it would result in more than $550,000 in revenue for us to invest in youth programs," Arway said. "We foresee the potential market for voluntary youth license sales goes beyond the youth anglers and their family and friends.
"Clubs, organizations, businesses, individuals and others who are interested in promoting youth angling could purchase quantities of voluntary youth license vouchers to distribute to children. And, once a voluntary youth license is purchased or a youth license voucher is redeemed, the individual will be assigned a unique customer identification number which allows us to analyze license purchasing patterns and trends, tailor messages and programs and correspond directly with customers."
Arway said he is also pleased that the Mentored Youth Fishing Day held in the Southeast Region on a trial basis last year was such a success. This year, the program has been expanded with a day in the Southeast Region and another throughout the rest of the state.
This year, the MYFD in the Southeast Region is Saturday, March 22, a week before the opening day of trout season in the region. The MYFD throughout the rest of the state is Saturday, April 5, the week before the opening day of trout season statewide.
Youth who participate in the MYFD program must have either a voluntary youth fishing license or a free mentored youth fishing permit, which can be obtained from the PFBC website at www.gonefishingpa.com. An adult licensed angler must accompany MYFD participants, and both anglers may keep a limit of two trout.
Participating in last year's MYFD made kids feel special. Participating this year with a voluntary youth fishing license will make them feel like part of the gang.
(Dietz is outdoors editor)