FORT HOOD, Texas - The Sportsmen Center hosted a Family Fishing Clinic last Saturday in order to guide the families of Fort Hood as they break into the world of fishing.
The program is designed to aid Soldiers and family members who had no prior fishing experience, said Danny Riddlespriger, a recreation assistant at the Sportsmen Center.
"We have a lot of people that come to our store and then ask questions about fishing because they want to take their sons and daughters fishing but they don't know how," said Riddlespriger. "We try to tell them there in the store but what better place to teach them than out here at the lake."
During the clinic, families were able to practice all of the fishing fundamentals such as baiting, casting, catching, and finally fileting the fish.
"We can tell them everything at the store but between the store and the lake they might forget some things," said Riddlespriger. "Out here they see it, do it, get hands on, then they'll remember it."
Fort Hood is host to over 200 fishable lakes, 13 of which are stocked and maintained, said Riddlespriger. Coupled with the free state fishing licenses available at the Sportsmen Center, this makes Fort Hood the perfect place for Soldiers and family members to dive right into the world of fishing.
Riddlespriger thinks of fishing as the perfect opportunity for families to build lasting memories together.
"My best memory growing up is being out fishing with my grandfather and my father," said Riddlespriger. "Most people you talk to, most people who go out fishing, their greatest memory is going outdoors and going fishing and hunting with their parents."
Kevin Green, an auditor at the III Corps and Fort Hood Internal Review Directorate, brought his 7-year-old daughter Chloe out to the lake on Saturday for her first fishing trip.
Green can still remember his first time fishing with his father 35 years ago.
"My dad taught me," said Green. "We just went out with a cane pole and some worms. The first few times you yank the fish out into the tree behind you, but it was a great experience."
Greens intentions behind introducing his family to the outdoors are twofold.
"It's a good bonding experience, but it's also a good way to introduce kids to the sport and to create, hopefully, conservationists who are going to be concerned about making sure that there are fish here for other kids, for their kids," said Green.
Conservation is one of the installations top priorities. Last May, Fort Hood was awarded the Secretary of Defense's Environmental Award for the cumulative efforts taken to protect the environment.
The employees at the Sportsmen Center play a pivotal role in maintaining the ecosystem at Fort Hood.
"They get out and they work with the state game and fisheries and they do deer counts, for instance, and that tells them how many deer should be harvested so that they don't overpopulate and lead to malnutrition and starvation and things like that," said Green. "Its very important to keep the balance in the ecosystem."
Probably the most effective way for the staff of the Sportsmen Center to ensure the continued conservation is to educate the next generation on the importance of maintaining the environment.
"Our plan is to get them out here, get them to learn how to fish and hunt and to enjoy the outdoors and take care of the outdoors," said Riddlespriger. "We want them to be more mindful of that, and hopefully they do keep the lakes and everything clean."
Unfortunately, the struggle to minimize any lasting imprint left on the environment is ongoing.
"We still have problems with people leaving their stuff, but we have a lot of dedicated hunters and fishers that when they go fishing they'll carry a plastic bag with them and they'll pick up around the lake," said Riddlespriger. "It's a lot nicer fishing around somewhere when you're not tripping over bottles and cans."
Riddlespriger encourages anyone who wishes to get involved to come down to the Sportsmen Center and see what kind of opportunities are being offered.
"There's a lot more things to do at Fort Hood than sitting playing computer games," said Riddlespriger. "Come on, lets go outside and play."
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