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When I was a kid, our family didn't
have a boat, as there were other things that ate up my father's
paycheck.
Eventually we got a boat, but
before then, we would rent one at whatever Waukesha County lake
offered the best rates, and the best windbreaks.
The fact is, a 9.9 horsepower on
a windy day just didn't cut the mustard on Pewaukee, so we chose
Okauchee instead.
They were some of the best times
of my fishing life.
Nowadays, there are few lakes in
Waukesha County that offer offshore angling opportunities unless
you own a boat.
That's a beef Larry Van Veghel,
secretary and media director for the Wisconsin Fishing Club, has
concerning several bodies of water in Waukesha County and other
metro lakes.
"If we want to get new
people into fishing, we need to give them a way to get on the
water even if they don't own a boat," Van Veghel said.
"Waukesha County is missing the boat on an economic level.
The lakes and rivers in the county are a major tourist
attraction so the lack of boat rentals should be
addressed."
Van Veghel, of Cudahy, said a
study by the American Sportfishing Association showed that
fishing generates more business money per year in the U.S. than
baseball, football and basketball combined.
"I doubt that those sports
bring much money to Waukesha County," he said. "But it
seems like angling does. Just a few years ago the Department of
Natural Resources said Nagawicka was the most fished lake per
acre in our state and Pewaukee was second. Boat liveries would
attract new anglers and bring back the money that has
disappeared."
Van Veghel said that back in the
1930s, the fishing market in the area was tapped. It's changed.
"Major lakes in the area
just don't have boat rentals," he said. "Those lakes
include Nagawicka, Ashippun, Okauchee, Oconomowoc, Pine, LaBelle,
Moose, Fowler, Cedar, Hunters, Silver, Denoon, Beaver, Little
Muskego, North, the Genesees and more. All lack the ability for
people to rent a boat and fish on them.
"Fishing begins often with
parents taking their kids fishing," he said. "The
bottom line is that most new families don't have an extra
$20,000 to buy a new fishing boat."
That's why Van Veghel wants the
state to provide boat rentals at DNR launches.
"The state or county parks
should offer boat rentals at access points," he said.
"They could make money doing it and it would help get more
people involved in fishing."
Another way people can get more
involved with fishing is to join the Wisconsin Fishing Club.
Club meetings are held every second and fourth Monday at the
Calhoun Station in New Berlin to make people better anglers.
"We utilize expert guest
speakers to pass along their knowledge to all who attend,"
Van Veghel said. "We also organize monthly outings on
Wisconsin lakes and have prizes donated by sponsors at each
outing. We also promote fishing to youngsters in the area with
fishing clinics."
"The club is not biased
toward a specific species of fish. There are members who are
willing to take people out fishing or teach people from trout to
muskie.
"We do several kids fishing
clinics, too," he said. "A kid who is hooked on
fishing won't be hooked on drugs or other bad things. But our
club also tries to get the parents involved so that they know
how to teach their kids how to fish."
Go to
www.wisconsinfishingclub.com
for more information.
(Dan Durbin writes a weekly
outdoors column for The Freeman. Call Durbin at 644-7940, or
e-mail him at ddurbin@bastdurbin.com
if you have a story idea.)
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