It’s one thing to have a nice day on the water catching more than a dozen 2- and 3-pound bass.
Sharing that time with a young angler is even more fun.
Two weeks ago, Richie Wren, 14, of Tinley Park and his dad, Rich, joined me for a day of fishing on Lake of Egypt in southern Illinois.
Every chance Richie gets, he’ll fish retention and park district ponds that are close to his home. But several times during the summer, he and his dad will take summer trips north to fish for smallmouth bass.
“Our family has a place on the Minocqua chain, and I’ve had Richie fishing in the boat with me ever since he was 2 years old.” Rich Wren told me. “He really loves to fish, and I’ll take him out every chance I get.”
Yes, Richie started out young using a Snoopy rod and reel to catch bluegill and pumpkinseed. But with the help of his dad, Richie’s skills have progressed, and now he does pretty well on his own.
As a freshman at Andrew High School in Tinley Park, Richie joined the school’s fishing club.
“Richie is a great kid and a solid angler,” John Bartgen, fishing coach at Andrew, said. “I’m glad that he’s a freshman. In the past, I’ve had little time with my top anglers, given that they were seniors and they only had a year to compete with me. Richie will be around for three more years. It will be fun to watch him develop and complete. He’s a good person and always seems to put the club first.”
Although Andrew didn’t make it to the IHSA bass fishing finals, Richie’s team did well at the District 230 Bass Classic Series in May . The competition between 14 schools was at the Des Plaines Fish and Wildlife Area.
Andrew’s team of Wren, Jeremy Bilecki and Anthony Leno took first place with five fish totaling 9.20 pounds. Leno caught the big bass of the day at2.63 pounds.
I’m all for people who take kids fishing and encourage them to get outdoors. And with the IHSA bass fishing program, a lot more who otherwise have no opportunity to experience and enjoy the sport now have that chance.
Free fishing days will be celebrated in Illinois from Friday through June 13. During this time, it is legal for anyone to fish Illinois waters without a fishing license. Visit DNR.illinois.gov to learn about locations where loaner fishing equipment is available.
Now it’s up to you to make time to go fishing with the kids.
Don Dziedzina is a contributor to the Chicago Tribune. His blog is at illinoisoutdoors.com.
