Week 4: Fishing is a Dying Sport

As a fisherman by hobby, I have spoken with many others who agree that the sport of fishing whether salt or fresh water has become a thing of the past. Although many will agree with this statement, it is hard to pin-point why exactly many people are no longer enjoying this great outdoors sport. Other than the obvious fact that people are falling victim to modern society, what other contributing factors are driving this sport underground? In my opinion, kids and children are ofter the deciding factor as to whether past times such as fishing will live on. Today, many children would rather play video games or engage in long hours in front of the television set than get outdoors and cast a line. Being a young adult myself, I lived through the beginning of this change as modern society and technological advances forced away outdoor activities such as fishing, baseball, and camping. Most youths were coaxed in the direction of gaming, Internet, and television. Kid were putting away the bat and glove or fishing pole to engage in the virtual world of sports from the comfort of there bedroom and sofas. Luckily, I only saw the beginning of this revolution, and in addition had family and friends who enjoyed the outdoors as much as I did, thus not allowing me to fall into the trap of Sega, and Nintendo-64. Looking back as a young man, I am thankful that I was able to hold onto my love for the outdoors, in particular fishing. Today I take any chance I get to go to a local pond or stream and fish. However, I see less and less young kids doing the same, and they are the ones who must get out there and keep this sport alive! I would encourage all parents, older siblings, and communities to help open their kids eyes to whats behond the controler and keyboard in hopes that this will spark intrest in outdoor activities such as fishing.