07-01-2005, 07:23 PM
Marina del Rey, CA - Juana Mariscal, age 10, never dreamed of being the star attraction on a Youth Fishing Program trip out of Marina del Rey, but that is what happened. All's well that ends well, but she had a hard time getting there. First she got seasick. If you have never been on a boat before, you don't expect the unpleasant experience of seasickness. But Juana was determined. Then, just as she got over the sea sickness and began fishing, a nasty old bee came buzzing along, landed on her arm and stung her. Don't think for a minute that a bee sting was going to rain on Juana's parade. No, sir. She picked up a rod and reel, baited it, and let it go into the water. Whamo, her rod was Bendo!!
There aren't many big barracuda caught on the Youth Fishing trips, but that's what Juana did the afternoon of Tuesday, June 21. She hooked a formidable, legal size barracuda and brought it in herself. If that isn't a star performance--nausea, bee sting, and trophy catch, all on one trip, we don't know what is. Everybody aboard, twenty-five other youths, four mentors, the boat's skipper, and the boat's crew, all looked at her in awe.
Events like this prove what a great experience kids can have on an ocean excursion with the Marina del Rey Youth Fishing Program. MDRA, a local fishing club, takes over a thousand children from at risk communities on half-day ocean fishing trips every year. In 2005, the club is planning to take 1,500 children fishing, most of whom have never been fishing before, and some of whom have never been on a boat or seen the ocean before.
Each trip is accompanied by four or five club members who serve as mentors, teaching the children the basics of ocean fishing and marine conservation. Community service organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs, Boy and Girl Scouts, LAPD Activity League, LA Sheriffs Youth Groups, Churches, City and County Youth Shelters and others are invited to send twenty-five to thirty-five children on one of the trips. There will be fifty-two fishing trips this summer for which the MDRAnglers charter the sportfishing vessel, "Betty O", its skipper Captain Mike Reinsch, and a four-man crew. Fishing tackle is contributed by manufacturers who understand the importance of introducing inner-city children to a healthy, outdoor environment.
The members of Marina del Rey Anglers are proud to provide this wonderful worthwhile community service. The program is funded by the club's Annual Halibut Derby, which attracts eight to nine hundred anglers to a fishing tournament each spring. The entry fee is augmented by raffles and other prize opportunities for which fishing tackle manufacturers and local merchants donate valuable merchandise.
Youths who participate in trips like Juana and her friends from the LAPD Hollenbeck Police Activities League, may enjoy fishing enough to encourage their families to adopt it as a regular part of their recreation. Marina del Rey Anglers hope they are pointing the way to wholesome, healthy angling for many Southland youths. For further information contact Ken Feldman at 310.306.1267 or [url "mailto:k.kjfeldman@verizon.net"]k.kjfeldman@verizon.net[/url].
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There aren't many big barracuda caught on the Youth Fishing trips, but that's what Juana did the afternoon of Tuesday, June 21. She hooked a formidable, legal size barracuda and brought it in herself. If that isn't a star performance--nausea, bee sting, and trophy catch, all on one trip, we don't know what is. Everybody aboard, twenty-five other youths, four mentors, the boat's skipper, and the boat's crew, all looked at her in awe.
Events like this prove what a great experience kids can have on an ocean excursion with the Marina del Rey Youth Fishing Program. MDRA, a local fishing club, takes over a thousand children from at risk communities on half-day ocean fishing trips every year. In 2005, the club is planning to take 1,500 children fishing, most of whom have never been fishing before, and some of whom have never been on a boat or seen the ocean before.
Each trip is accompanied by four or five club members who serve as mentors, teaching the children the basics of ocean fishing and marine conservation. Community service organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs, Boy and Girl Scouts, LAPD Activity League, LA Sheriffs Youth Groups, Churches, City and County Youth Shelters and others are invited to send twenty-five to thirty-five children on one of the trips. There will be fifty-two fishing trips this summer for which the MDRAnglers charter the sportfishing vessel, "Betty O", its skipper Captain Mike Reinsch, and a four-man crew. Fishing tackle is contributed by manufacturers who understand the importance of introducing inner-city children to a healthy, outdoor environment.
The members of Marina del Rey Anglers are proud to provide this wonderful worthwhile community service. The program is funded by the club's Annual Halibut Derby, which attracts eight to nine hundred anglers to a fishing tournament each spring. The entry fee is augmented by raffles and other prize opportunities for which fishing tackle manufacturers and local merchants donate valuable merchandise.
Youths who participate in trips like Juana and her friends from the LAPD Hollenbeck Police Activities League, may enjoy fishing enough to encourage their families to adopt it as a regular part of their recreation. Marina del Rey Anglers hope they are pointing the way to wholesome, healthy angling for many Southland youths. For further information contact Ken Feldman at 310.306.1267 or [url "mailto:k.kjfeldman@verizon.net"]k.kjfeldman@verizon.net[/url].
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