AREA CHILDREN TRAVEL COUNTY FOR FISHING HOLES

Todd Obergoenner, left, watched as instructor Lynn Lester adjusted his fishing reel.

Paul Cieslewicz, a fisheries management biologist, showed the fishing club members the freshwater fish that are kept in the aquarium at the conservation building.

David Hammond tried his fishing skills at Cape Girardeau County Park North.

Fishing club members got to touch a softshell turtle at the conservation building.

Even though they are young, the 14 members of the Cape Girardeau Youth Fishing Club have been fishing long enough to tell stories about the "one that got away."

Todd Obergoenner remembers the first fish he ever caught. "I was about two years old and just felt a tug on my pole," he said. "I reeled it in and it was just a minnow."

Now Todd uses those minnows for bait during his mornings with the club.

The group gathers every Friday morning at area parks to tell stories about fishing and learn more about the outdoors. The club is sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department.

The idea for a youth fishing club started three years ago when Jerry Elder decided children should have more opportunities to learn about the outdoors.

Now the class meets at area ponds and parks for two hours a week to practice catch-and-release techniques. The classes will end Aug. 2 with a fish fry.

"We started from scratch," said instructor Lynn Lester. "When they first started, some wouldn't even touch a cricket or take the fish off a hook."

Now the students are more experienced and know how to cast, bait a hook and clean a fish.

Cleaning fish was a messy task, but one that Trey Deevers didn't mind.

"Now that I know how to do it, I'll probably clean my own fish," he said. "My dad will probably want me to."

Most of the students in the class had never cleaned a fish before.

Class members bring their own rod and reel to each meeting; some carry their own tackle boxes. "Really all they need is a rod," said Brian Sams, another instructor.

Patience might also be a requirement. At least one fish is caught each week, but some students are still waiting to hook their first big one.

Chad Burton knows that patience is important when it comes to fishing. "It's OK if you don't catch something," he said, adding that he usually fishes once a week.

And David Hammond agreed. He hasn't caught anything lately, but will keep trying. "I just fish with whatever bait they have and with some luck I'll catch something," he said. Hammond, who just moved to Cape Girardeau from Richmond, Va., likes to fish with the class so he can find out where the best ponds are.

"I liked the pond at the South County Park because I caught three or four there," he said.

Every fisherman has a favorite spot to fish, whether it's near a bank or in a clump of trees. Mark Presser's fishing hole will likely be the North Cape County Park because that's where he caught his first channel catfish two weeks ago.

"I just threw my line out and he was there," Presser said, adding that fishing for bluegill is easier. "All I have to do is put my line in the creek and I can catch one."

But sometimes it's not that easy. Instructors are always on hand to tackle problems with broken lines.

During the fishing course, instructors have taught lessons on casting techniques, bait, Missouri fish, boating safety and conservation. There were also visits to the Missouri Department of Conservation office at the county park where the group learned about different types of fish and turtles found in Missouri's streams and rivers.

With frequent visits to Cape Girardeau's ponds, the class members are frequently reeling in a fish, which leaves little time for instructors to cast their lines.

Most instructors who teach classes don't have time to play because their classes are so full. "Outdoor Fun" and "Nature Pioneers" classes are among the most popular offered during the summer.