In Rick Zeiglers column this week he asks:

"How do we get people to take their kids to city lakes and farm ponds or small streams to get exposed to the idea of fishing? I am not sure that I have an answer for this, but I am sure that what the kids are being exposed to is not going to help with the growth of the fishing population"

While I don't have all the answers, I have one....get involved with Scouting. There's no better way to see the smiles (both yours and theirs) that come with teaching boys how to fish (unfortunately I don't know what the Girl Scouts offer). Both Cub Scouts (belt loop) and Boy Scouts (2 merit badges - fishing and fly fishing) have ways for you to help expose kids to the joys of fishing. You don't have to have a child in scouting to get involved. Call your local troop or council and tell them you want to volunteer as a fishing and/or fly fishing merit badge counselor. It takes just a few minutes to fill out the merit badge counsellors form. I have found it very rewarding teaching kids, other than my own, how to fish and to appreciation the resources of our local fishery. Since I got involved with the troop they now offer both fishing and fly fishing merit badges, along with an annual trout fishing trip.

To find your local troop or council go to: http://www.scouting.org/