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Hooked On Fishing, Not On Drugs
Fueling the passion to fish has moved into the realm of drug prevention in Jackson Township.
Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs is an annual drug prevention program offered to Jackson Memorial Middle School students that teaches students the basics about the sport of fishing.

Jackson, Ohio -(FishNLand.com)- Fueling the passion to fish has moved into the realm of drug prevention in Jackson Township.
Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs is an annual drug prevention program offered to Jackson Memorial Middle School students that teaches students the basics about the sport of fishing.

Jackson Township Police Officer Steve Cindea established the Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs program in 2000. This year, about 37 students are participating. The basics of the program have not changed since its inception.

“The basics are this,” explained Cindea. “Once a student gets into high school it’s a little late to get into the students minds (about drugs). But, if you get to the students early, seventh and eighth graders, and give them the education and knowledge they need to fight off peer pressure and at the same time give them something to do, you will be more successful in helping them avoid drugs. This is open to all seventh and eighth graders.”

That something to do is fishing. The middle school program runs from February to the beginning of June. The kids meet every Friday after school and attend field trips to fish on Saturday. The program provides everything the kids need to fish – rods to reels to tackle boxes – free of charge. The program is funded – and has been funded since the start — through grants and through community efforts with businesses like WalMart and Carrabbas. The program is not supported by any tax dollars.

The sessions culminate with an overnight trip to Ohio State’s Gibraltar Island on Lake Erie.
“While we are there the kids learn all about Lake Erie, about dead zones, aquatic education,” explained Cindea. “The students spend the night and get up the next morning to fish on charter boats on Lake Erie.”

“With the Hooked on Fishing not Drugs program, it states seven out 10 kids tried drugs because they didn’t have anything better to do,” said Jimmy Jones, a Louisville resident who is involved in many local fishing events for kids. “By having a program like this, we have narrowed it by 80 percent. Now, (with fishing) these kids have something to do that it’s inexpensive. The state of Ohio has many places that you can go, as close as Akron, whether you have fishing supplies or not, where they will supply everything you need. In tough times like we have right now, it’s important that we use the resources that we have so families have time together.”

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GRAND LAKE TO HOST WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE BUCKEYE DIVISION TOURNAMENT
The Buckeye Division of the $8 million Walmart Bass Fishing League® will visit Grand Lake in Saint Mary’s, Ohio, May 9 for the first of five regular-season events.

SAINT MARY’S, Ohio -(FishNLand.com) – The Buckeye Division of the $8 million Walmart Bass Fishing League® will visit Grand Lake in Saint Mary’s, Ohio, May 9 for the first of five regular-season events. As many as 200 boaters and 200 co-anglers are expected to compete in the tournament, which will award as much as $45,000 in cash, including a top award of $6,000 in the Boater Division.

If the winner is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he or she will receive a $2,000 bonus from Ranger Boats. If the winner is not a Ranger Cup participant, Ranger will award $1,000 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant. That’s a potential top award of $8,000 for anglers who meet contingency guidelines.

Bombardier will award $1,000 to the winning boater if the winner’s boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude E-TEC or Direct Injection outboard.

The winning co-angler will earn as much as $3,000 cash.

Big Bass awards of up to $1,000 and $500, respectively, will also be awarded in the Boater and Co-angler Divisions.

Anglers may register for the tournament online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Onsite registration will be held May 8 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Walmart store located at 1951 Havemann Road in Celina, Ohio. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

Grand Lake St. Mary’s State Park – West Bank Ramp in Saint Mary’s will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.

The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in each of the BFL’s 28 divisions at the end of the season advance to a no-entry-fee Regional Championship where boaters fish for a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck and co-anglers fish for a new Ranger boat. Seven regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the no-entry-fee Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, which features a $1 million purse and a top award of $140,000 in the Boater Division and $70,000 in the Co-angler Division. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to a Regional Championship are eligible to compete in the Chevy Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a total of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers advancing through BFL competition.

The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American will advance to the no-entry-fee $2.5 million Forrest Wood Cup in Atlanta in 2010. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the most lucrative tournament in all of competitive bass fishing. In all, the BFL offers weekend anglers the opportunity to qualify for three no-entry-fee championships with total cash awards exceeding $3.5 million. Plus, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from each BFL division may move up to the Stren Series™ for 2010 while All-American champions have the option to advance directly to the Walmart FLW Tour®.

The next Buckeye Division tournament will be held on Indian Lake in Lake View, Ohio, June 20.

Following the end of regular-season competition, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in the Buckeye Division will advance to the Kentucky/Barkley Lakes Regional Championship in Gilbertsville, Ky., Oct. 15-17 and will compete against anglers from the Arkie, Hoosier and Mississippi divisions for an All-American berth.

In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.

As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the Stren Series and ultimately the FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament circuit.

Total awards are based on a full field of 200 boats in every tournament.

About: FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors also is taking fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player’s Advantage for only $10 to get your edge and win.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.

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