By Julia Train
One hundred children scattered around Patriot Lake in Galloway on Saturday, June 3, with their fishing gear in tow.
The Friends of Forsythe and Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge held their 22nd annual “Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs” (HOFNOD), which is a free fishing derby for children 5-12 years old.
“Fishing is a really great avenue to introduce people to nature or maybe get them back to nature,” said Virginia Rettig, the refuge’s manager for the past 12 years. “It’s also really easy and not a very expensive activity”
HOFNOD was a free event with volunteer workers and 16 sponsors, who donated prizes, goodie bags and materials. The Beacon Evangelical Free Church next to the park even donated lunch for everyone.
Among the sponsors, four had tables set up to teach the children about alcohol and drug prevention, along with responsible fishing and environmental stewardship.
Children started arriving around 9 a.m. with their fishing rods and tackle boxes, although the actual derby began at 10 a.m.
For that hour between their arrival and the bullhorn’s blare, they visited each station.
“The main thing is we want them to have fun, but above all, it’s called hooked on fishing, not on drugs. So this is why we’re doing it ahead of time.” said Sandy Perchetti, retired volunteer coordinator for 21 years at the Edwin B Forsythe Refuge and now a volunteer.
The goal of the event was to inform children about alcohol and drug abuse and show them a different activity in hopes to be a preventative measure.
Upon arrival, the children were given a piece of paper attached to a string that they could wear around their neck. When they completed each station, their card was hole punched, to signify their completion.
The stations were sponsored by ACUA, Galloway Township police (and cadets), Absecon Saltwater Sportsmen and The Friends of Forsythe.
The ACUA’s station had a trash and recycling bucket, which they dumped the materials out for the children to organize into the correct bin, teaching them what is and isn’t recyclable.
The Galloway Township Police handed out water bottles and goodie bags with an informative coloring book about drug and alcohol prevention and their table.
A member of the Absecon Saltwater Sportsmen sat at a picnic table with handouts and taught the children about responsible fishing.
A volunteer from the Friends of Forsythe had a plastic basin as a visual for Aquatic Ecology, teaching them how contaminants get into waterways.
The final station was also set up by the Friends of Forsythe.
Once they finished the other four stations, they went to their table at the front to show that they were done and received a goodie bag, a t-shirt and a foam fish. They were then ready to start fishing.
The children first filled up the dock, then those that didn’t fit on it spread around the lake.
Once the bullhorn’s siren went off, the derby began. Children, with the help of their chaperones and fishermen spread around the lake, cast their lines.
“They’ll probably be catching a lot of sunfish and largemouth bass,” said Joe Ricciard, president and volunteer at Absecon Saltwater Sportsmen.
Ricciardi has been fishing since he was 3 years old and now he works at Bass Pro Shoppes. He wants to teach kids to fish safely, without hurting or killing the fish unnecessarily
At his station, he spoke about safe fishing and how to not hurt the fish when taking it off the line.
“You don’t want to take too much of the slime off, because the fish needs it to survive,” Ricciardi told the children at his station. “Either use a wet towel or wet your hands before taking it off.”
Each time they caught a fish, they went to one of the many fishermen around the lake for help removing their fish from the line and got their foam fish. Those with the most punches won prizes from 1st-3rd place in two age categories.
There were also awards for a casting competition, largest fish, and sportsmanship
The sportsmanship award was given to the child who displayed those qualities, such as helping someone else or following directions.
Although the wind was blowing their lines around, the children kept their smiles on their faces all around the lake.
“When you provide an opportunity to just come down to the local area here and get your pole and bait and you start fishing, it’s just a really easy, pretty straightforward, way to get people back to nature,” said Rettig.
