WASHINGTON – National Fishing and Boating Week 2013 is taking place June 1-9, and this year’s campaign is called “Take Me Fishing.” The idea behind the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation’s campaign is to make people aware that nearly everyone is about an hour from a place to fish or a place to boat and to take advantage.
The foundation conducted a nationwide survey in 2013 for “Take Me Fishing” that shows that families benefit from and might consider changing their plans for “summer stay-cations into bay-cations,” says the RBFF. So perhaps for Father’s Day this year, spending the day with dad out on the water fishing is a gift idea.
During National Fishing and Boating Week, RBFF suggests families transform their time off work into time on their nearest lake, river, stream or coastline.
Angie Prime and her husband, Tim, from Leesburg, Va., drive about an hour with their two boys to Leesylvania Park in Woodbridge, where they slip their boat into the Potomac River.
Their sons, nine-year-old Max and six-year-old Alex, are excited about the fish the family caught. “We got some keepers in the cooler,” says Max. And “we got croakers and catfish,” says Alex.
Tim Prime says he tries to get his family out on the water every weekend in the summer. “It’s a vacation for a half-day. Forget about work, forget about everything else. Bring the kids out and have fun. We caught some fish,” he says.
The campaign website, TakeMeFishing.org, features tips and how-to information that can be used all over the country. You can find tools to compare different styles of boats and information on how to get a fishing license and boat registration as well. An interactive state-by-state map allows visitors to find local boating and fishing spots.
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