Content of the article

In a back room of Buddha’s Bait Shop in White Fox, dozens of fishing rods of all sizes and descriptions are ready to use. They’re part of a program designed by company owner Dean Foster to help more kids get on the water.

Content of the article

Called the Fixed For Fishing program, Foster takes donated rods and reels and refurbishes them. Kids who want to fish (and their parents – a crucial one) can go to the store and gear up for fishing at no cost.

“Everything from fishing rods and tackle boxes, to nets and life jackets,” Foster said of what he has prepared. “People donate their slightly used equipment and we fix it as best we can and try to put it in the hands of the children. “

The program started on June 1 and no children came to collect fishing gear, but it has received support from many donors.

“We’ve had people donating Nova Scotia stuff across the country. The local support has also been great with the people donating, ”said Foster.

Some gifts, like decoys, are new.

As part of his initiative to use fishing to help children who might otherwise be at risk for poor lifestyle choices, Foster hopes to take 25 children to the Nordic Lodge on Reindeer Lake in northern Saskatchewan to a fishing adventure and a learning experience.

They would fish during the day and learn things like how to tie up their own lures at night.

With supplies close at hand, Foster faces a new hurdle: getting the kids involved.

“Our biggest dilemma is how to contact people to let them know,” he said, aware that his clientele are low-income families and that privacy laws can apply to find them. “There is nothing we can do to approach anyone. They must come to us.

Content of the article

As well as giving the stems outright, they’ll also check them out for everyday use, like a bookshelf.

“If a family goes fishing and takes their children and has never fished and doesn’t know what to do,” he explained. “Instead of them buying a whole bunch of things that they don’t know, they can come here, they can tell us where they’re going and we’ll know what kind of fishing they’re going to do there.”

From there, the staff will equip them with the right equipment.

“They can take it off like a library and after the weekend they can bring everything back,” Foster said. “If they decided not to bring it back, well, we got them fishing and we would have given it to them for free anyway.”

Foster has supplies for all ages, from a four year old to an adult, and they will take the time to ensure the materials are age appropriate.