Fishing School Tackles the Basics
Did you know that fish have personalities, are intelligent, and can be trained to "sit" in your hand? These are just a few interesting facts that students learned when they attended the Bald Head Island Conservancy's Annual Basic Fishing School Sept. 19 through 21.
The three-day school, held at the island's BHIC campus, marked the 25th anniversary of its founding in conjunction with the conservancy. Seventeen students attended classes taught by seven of the island's top-rated anglers, headed by Dr. John May, dean of the fishing school.
Other teachers included Dr. Thad Wester who founded the school and served as dean for over 20 years. Classes opened with several brief sessions on the basics of fishing in Bald Head Island's abundant waters. Following the afternoon's class, students took to the beach at the Point, near the BHIC campus, to practice cast netting. On the second and third days, students were up with the sun and heading to the Point once again to test their new skills in surf fishing.
"It was a great weekend of fishing," said Dr. May. "We caught dozens of blue fish, a 24" red drum, a few flounders, a spot and a whiting." The school closed with an awards ceremony at the conservancy's classroom.
One of only a handful of similar schools on the North Carolina coast, the BHIC fishing school is based on teaching recreational fishermen to understand, appreciate and responsibly use one of nature's plentiful resources. In addition to the fundamentals of bait, tackle and technique, classroom topics also included state and federal regulations on size and bag limit on certain species of fish.
"What's unique about this fishing school is that all our teachers are island residents," said Dr. May. "And they're teaching other island visitors and residents about the excitement and pleasure of fishing on Bald Head Island."
Dr. May is already looking forward to the conservancy's drum school scheduled for Oct. 14-16. "It's one of our most highly prized sport fish," he said. "And they can usually be found at the Point, a favorite location for island anglers."
For additional information about this popular fishing program, please contact the Bald Head Island Conservancy at 910-457-0089 or visit the Web site, www.BHIC.org.
