Kids Can Fish Foundation Hosts Cast Net Camp

Sixty kids participated in the Kids Can Fish cast net camp. Most had never thrown a net, but they had mastered the technique by the camp’s end.

By Tom Lewis

The Kids Can Fish Foundation is a nonprofit charity based on Brunswick that was created in 2020 by a youth angler named Caroline. What was intended to be a small family based charity has blossomed into a nationally recognized entity with corporate and local sponsors contributing with the vested interest of getting kids outdoors and participating in youth activities focused on the sport of fishing.

The Kids Can Fish Foundation hosts approximately nine free fishing camps annually ranging from cast netting, surf fishing, inshore, freshwater and occasionally a specialized camp for kids with special needs. As a charity, the Kids Can Fish Foundation is capable of providing these free events based on fundraising, merchandise sales, individual donations and by funds raised at the Saint Simons Island Running of the Bulls Charity Surf Redfish Tournament that takes place annually every Columbus Day weekend.

On May 13, Kids Can Fish hosted a cast net camp at Massengale Beach Park on St. Simons Island where more than 60 kids were taught the basics of cast-net care, maintenance and the essentials of how to throw a cast net.  During the camp, the youth participants caught various saltwater species and were taught the importance of conservation with catch-and-release principles being reinforced. The Kids Can Fish Foundation is sponsored by Promar and Ahi USA, and they donated an Ahi cast net to every child who attended.

Caroline Lewis, 12, of Brunswick, is the founder of the Kids Can Fish Foundation.

Of the 60 participants, many had never used a cast net before, but by the end of the camp, they had mastered the art of throwing the net. At the camp, one of the highlights was the cast-net competition where the boys and girls were separated into two groups with a male and female winner being determined. From there, the two winners had a head-to-head showdown to determine who was the best cast-net throwing kid at the camp. The winner of the showdown was a 10-year-old female participant who was brand new to throwing a cast net.  

To learn how and where the Kids Can Fish Foundation will host their next free fishing camp, the best method to track these events is on the Kids Can Fish Facebook and Instagram pages. On these sites the organization also posts a daily Kid of the Day photo, and there is also a monthly contest for the kids where the winner receives a Kids Can Fish Sponsors Prize pack. Notable sponsors of the online contests are Fishbites, Promar and Ahi, Rapala, Cuda Brand, Monsterbass Company, Bandit Custom Rods, Batson Enterprises, Yeti, Big Bite Baits and Huk Performance Fishing.

For more information on the Kids Can Fish Foundation or how to become involved, you can visit their website at www.kidscanfish.net or can email [email protected]

The Kids Can Fish Foundation would love to see you at one of their events and help you, “Find One, Catch One, and Share it with Someone Special.”