Just last week, I had an opportunity to partner with Minnesota Outdoor Adventure Foundation and The Rondald McDonald House for a day of taking out a few kids fishing out on Lake Minnetonka. These kids all have different challenges that they are overcoming, but one thing was certain, they are “hooked!” The kids ranged from the ages of 5 to 16, and each of them was able to take home their fishing gear so they are able to enjoy more time on the water in the future.
We had a group of twenty-two total individuals, and two large pontoons. One pontoon was donated by Howards Point Marina, and the other was donated by Loves PBR (a metro area boat rental business). Rods, Reels and Tackle were donated by Cabelas, while the bait was donated by Shoreline BP (gas station, and bait store) in Mound.
I get a lot of satisfaction from volunteering time to help others enjoy a passion most of us here obviously share. Joining me on this trip as volunteer guides were Chris Brady, John Ellingsworth and Angie Cornelius. The goal of the day was to ensure everyone had fun, and we also wanted to make sure everyone caught fish. That didn’t seem to present an issue!
We had over 150 fish caught in a period of four hours (panfish). Some of these fish were larger males that got aggressive while protecting their beds. We even caught a few perch, some bass and had a nice muskie sighting (probably the biggest thrill of the day)!
Here are some photos from the event. The next time you have an opportunity to share your passion, do it. You will feel a great sense of satisfaction knowing that you are helping to create memories that will last a lifetime.
Attachments:
TonkaFishing-Kids-Event1.jpg
There probably could never be enough events like these. Lots of happy faces. 
