Fishing for some 4-H Fun

We have an amazing group of 4-H kids and as our first year in the club we have already had a ton of fun.  Trying to do everything that was listed by members when we first started back in October has been a challenge but we are trying for sure.  One of the things they listed as wanting to do this year was go "FISHING" all in capitals so I'm sure the member who wrote it really wanted to go fishing.  Of course if you know me at all by now we wouldn't just get some cheap, store bought poles and go fishing, no way we had to earn fishing....

Team Clover 4-H Club
Fishing with our poles under the Downsville Covered bridge.

First thing we have to do is make poles to fish with so at our regular monthly meeting we made poles and again if you know me at all they couldn't just be any sill string and stick poles even though that is what the Hubby wanted to do.  Nope if we were taking them fishing they were going to learn something along the way and make poles.  So we were having awesome bamboo pole and working reels on our poles too and before any of that we went over some fishing safety and such too.  Yeah, I know it took longer but such is life, all the good things require waiting and patients don't they.

Bamboo Pole with screw eyes and working reel.

DIY Reel made using thread spool, bolt, nuts, washers and a wooden spindle.

Next up was get fishing tackle and if time had allowed we were planning on making some lures at the meeting with the kids but that didn't look like it was going happen so it was the basic hook and worm fishing, probably the best way to go anyway.  Now obviously we had hooks but not enough for that many kids so we visited Al's Sports Store in town to pick up some hooks and worms.  Yes, that is a plug for a local business and there is good reason for it.  I love living in such a small town with amazing local businessmen (women too) as he graciously donated 2 dozen worms for us to take the kid fishing with.  Thank you so much to him as it saved me time in trying to dig them ourselves which meant more fishing time and also saved the club any money it would have cost to purchase them.  Now if you look at the expression on her face below, lets just say not all the members were quite as excited to be fishing with worms.

Youngest Daughter watching as she gets her worm for fishing, her expression says it all. haha

While it took a bit of time to make the poles fishing with them also proved to be a waiting game as well.  Unfortunately we didn't have a patient bunch and as no one actually caught in the time we had left to fish at our meeting we did have one member (the Youngest Daughter) who found a dead minnow left by previous fishermen and thought....Close Enough and used her new pole to scoop it out of the river. lol  Have to love my kids but she was the only one to catch or scoop up a fish that night.

Now they can all take themselves fishing when ever the opportunity arrives as they all have working fish poles to use.  They also have something even better in the knowledge to make new ones should they ever need them.
HAPPY FISHING 4-H!