Despite the rain, more than 50 children and their families made their way to Lake Lenape Park East in Mays Landing on June 7, hoping to reel in a big catch at the 10th Annual Hooked on Fishing – Not on Drugs Youth Fishing Challenge.
Hooked on Fishing – Not on Drugs (HOFNOD) is a nationally recognized program that teaches school-aged children how to fish while building positive life skills, fostering an appreciation for aquatic and natural resources and encouraging them to stay drug-free.
Run statewide by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (NJDEP) Division of Fish and Wildlife, the program held challenges across all 21 counties June 7-8.
The Mays Landing event featured a fishing contest, refreshments, community-based vendors, a food truck, giveaways and a performance by the Atlantic County Institute of Technology band. A range of prizes were handed out to competition winners, such as rod and reel setups.
Marlene Crump, of the Atlantic County HOFNOD Coalition and a team leader for Community Fishing Students, said this year was “more of a celebration” and a chance for families to get outdoors and bond.
For some, it won’t be a day they’ll forget.
“It was exciting for me to see the ones that fished for the first time, and they caught fish,” Crump said.
Children reeled in a variety of fish, including catfish, largemouth bass, yellow perch, crappie and sunfish. The largest catch of the day went to Cedar Creek High School student Joel Sharpe, who reeled in a 14-and-a-half-inch largemouth bass, walking away with a fish tank as his prize.
“I didn’t think it was going to be the biggest one. I thought it was, like, second place, maybe. I wasn’t expecting first,” he said. “I was really happy. I was excited because I really wanted to win the fish tank.”
But it was 7-year-old Smithville Elementary School student Layton Vangorder who got the first catch of the day, thanks to his mom baiting his hook with a night crawler (his dad admits he’s not a fan of worms, even though he fishes himself).
“I felt a nibble, and I reeled it in, and that’s how I caught a yellow perch,” Vangorder said.
Vangorder took a bamboo rod home as his prize, and he plans to do a lot of fishing this summer — specifically, he’s hoping to catch a salmon. He said he’ll “probably” participate in next year’s competition, but he’s got big ambitions for the future.
“I’ll probably go to, like, a shark one. Probably like when I’m dad’s age,” Vangorder said.
Stockton University’s New Angles for Success program and Cedar Creek High School helped support the event, along with several sponsors and local schools that participated or assisted. Liz Jackson, senior biologist education for NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife and HOFNOD state coordinator, also attended and oversaw the sites statewide.
“[New Angles for Success] is an outreach program I put together based out of the university that does a whole lot of different things with the community. One of which is getting my college students involved with interacting with the HOFNOD students and other students in the region, teaching them things like basic angling skills, outdoor safety, and appreciation for the environment and natural resources,” explained Adam Aguiar, the program’s head and associate professor at Stockton University in the biology department.
Aguiar stayed busy throughout the event, prepping rods, baiting hooks and helping kids with their catches. Many children left happy, their hands full of goody bags and giveaway gifts, feeling proud of their catches.
“The ones that caught fish, even if they didn’t win one of the larger awards, they were really stoked too because they were just excited they caught it,” Aguiar said.
Aguiar said he hopes kids leave events like this not just with angling skills and safety knowledge but also with a greater appreciation for the environment — and a positive path forward through fishing.
HOFNOD team leader Erin Sharpe, a science teacher at Cedar Creek High School and advisor for the school’s fishing club, said every time she gets a group outside fishing, her goal is to help foster an appreciation for nature, especially in a world where kids are surrounded by technology and often on their phones.
“This is that chance for them to unplug a little bit and look at the world around them. I think that’s good for everyone’s mental health, and I hope that my members are learning to find a balance in the technology age that they’re in and also enjoying nature. Being outside and respecting nature in terms of safe angling and practices for care and management of fish is important to us,” she said. “I want them to know that we can take from the earth around us, but we have to have a balance of putting it back, too, and that sustainability aspect is something we talk about.”
While she hopes “good practice in fishing” is what members stop and think about (and what she reminds them of frequently), she also hopes they enjoy themselves.
“First and foremost, I want them to enjoy being out in nature, and I hope they had a good time, rain or shine,” Sharpe said.
Sharpe said she’s already thinking about next year and was impressed with this year’s turnout and enthusiasm.
“Even with the rain, I was really impressed with the turnout,” Sharpe said. “Even though it kept raining, they wanted to keep fishing. They didn’t want the contest to end.”
Youth Fishing
Challenge winners
Largest Fish: Joel Sharpe, Cedar Creek High School
Most Fish: Valery Baez-Mejia, Pleasantville Middle School
Most Consistent: Cecelia Moder, Galloway Township Middle School
Youngest Angler: Brayson Hart, H. A. Marsh Elementary School
First Catch: Layton Vangorder, Smithville Elementary School
