On Saturday, April 13th, It may have been cold and windy day, but that did not keep the families from attending the Regner Park Fishing Event, which was held in West Bend, Wisconsin.  Over four hundred youth attended the event.  Many groups came together to hold this all day event which provided fishing education, fishing, prizes and lunch.    

Learn 2 Fish With Us volunteers Karen, Nick, Bob and Captain Greg educated families on the skills and equipment needed to fish in their educational booth.  Attendee’s learned about fishing equipment, safety while fishing, knots, fish identification and Aquatic Invasive species.  The number one attraction in the Learn 2 Fish With Us booth was casting with Backyard Bass along with seeing and touching the live bait.  Youth were so excited to learn more on fishing. 

This past weekend Learn 2 Fish With Us attended the Big Event which was held at Shopko Hall in Green Bay, Wisconsin.  This was a fundraiser for Encompass which uses their proceeds from the event to provide the finest quality early education and nurturing care to all children, regardless of their economic circumstances.  Based on this we believe that Learn 2 Fish With Us fits in with their vision by creating a healthy mind, by introducing youth to fishing and the outdoors.

Learn 2 Fish With Us Captain Greg, Board Member Mark Moran and other Learn 2 Fish With Us volunteers educated youth that were ten and under to the skills of casting!!  There were so many fish caught the day of the event.  Youth in the booth were taught to point their Shakespeare fishing combo at the fish.  Next look behind them so they don’t hook anyone.  Next, press the button and go to 2 o’clock over their their should.  Next, proceed forward to 10 o’clock and release the button.  The final step was to turn the handle which locks the reel and then start reeling in to hopefully catch a Backyard Bass.

Learn 2 Fish With us educated over eight hundred youth to casting making this one of our top ten events in the last eight years.  The average age of youth entering the booth were between four to six years old, making this the youngest Learn 2 Fish With Us audience for a fishing clinic.  Learn 2 Fish With Us really appreciated the volunteers that helped at the event, as this would not have been possible without them!!  A huge thanks to all our sponsors for helping to provide goodies to the youth.

After 18+ years of working at Thrivent Financial®, our own Captain Greg will be retiring on April 26! From training hundreds of people to being involved in important key initiatives, Greg made a lasting impact at Thrivent.

Joy Sams, the information technology manager at Thrivent Financial®, said Greg has been an instrumental resource on the Mutual Fund Accounting Information Technology team.

“His knack for asking the right questions and documenting the systems/processes has been a key resource within our area for others to be successful,” Sams said. “He will definitely be missed on our team.”

What’s ahead for Captain Greg? A lot more fishing (and time for teaching kids and their families how to fish, of course)!

On Friday March 29th, Captain Greg visited Westside Elementary which is located in Kimberly, Wisconsin.  Captain Greg presented his Basics Seminar to the thirds graders.  Captain Greg recorded a video so you all could see how excited the youth were for the Fishing Clinic!!.  The third graders learned about all the skills and equipment needed to begin.  Captain Greg shared his biggest walleye he has caught as he had it mounted.  He reviewed how old the walleye was, there special eyes, lateral lines, gills and how to properly hold a fish for a picture.  Captain Greg then talked about safety while fishing, spin cast and spinning fishing combos, knots, different fishing presentations, fish identification, live and artifcial bait and the Aquatic Invasive Species message of ‘Clean Drain Dry’.

Thanks to the National Professional Anglers Association each youth received a Future Pro Shirt.and to Greg’s and Learn 2 Fish With Us sponsors each youth also received a fishing hat!!

On Friday March 22nd, Captain Greg visited Woodland Elementary and presented his Fishing Basics seminar to the third graders.  Woodland Elementary is located in Kimberly, Wisconsin.  Due to all the third graders attending the Fishing Basics seminar Greg held two seminars.  The Third graders learn about all the skills and equipment needed to begin.  Captain Greg shared his biggest walleye he has caught as he had it mounted.  He reviewed how old the walleye was, there special eyes, lateral lines, gills and how to properly hold a fish for a picture.  Captain Greg then talked about safety while fishing, spin cast and spinning fishing combos, knots, different fishing presentations, fish identification, live and artifcial bait and the Aquatic Invasive Species message of ‘Clean Drain Dry’.  Greg also talked about the Shakespeare My Fishing Journal which is a fishing educational book that each of the youth received.  Captain Greg talked about recording your fishing trips in the journal such as the date, where fished, what caught, what bait and presentation used.  He said if they could record the water temp that would really help.

Thanks to the National Professional Anglers Association each youth received a Future Pro Shirt.

The past Saturday it may have been gloomy but that did not stop future anglers from coming to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sport Show to attend Learn 2 Fish With Us Fishing Basics Seminar.  The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sport Show is held at State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin.  Our Fishing Basics seminar was held on Saturday March 9th at 11:30 AM and 4:30 P.M.  Future Anglers both young and old learned about all the equipment and skills needed to begin fishing.   The skills included safety while fishing, how to use a spin cast and spinning fishing combo, casting, how to tie knots, different fishing presentations, fish identification, live and artificial bait and the Aquatic Invasive Species of ‘Clean Drain Dry’.  All youth attending the 11:30 Am Fishing Basics seminar received a fishing combo thanks to the National Professional Anglers Association.  Youth attending the 4:30 P.M. received a Plano tackle box with tackle such as Northland jigs, Tru-Tuyrn hooks, sinkers and a bobber, everything needed to begin fishing thanks to Learn 2 Fish With Us and our sponsors.

Captain Greg, Learn 2 Fish With Us Angler Educator was at the Wisconsin Fishing Expo for the eight year in a row.  The weather may have been questionable due to the rain, snow and ice but it did not stop the families and adults from making it to the Fishing Basics seminar.  Fishing Basics educated the families to all the skills and equipment needed to begin fishing.  Greg hosted two seminars on Saturday, February 23rd and one on Sunday.  Thanks to the National Professional Anglers Association for sponsor the seminars with fishing combo’s and NPAA Future Pro Shirts.