Conservation Corner: June 7, 1999

June 5 Begins National Fishing Week
by James L. Cummins

National Fishing Week is scheduled for June 5 through June 13, 1999. When I was growing up, I learned to fish at Leroy Percy State Park and on the borrow pits on Lake Lee, a oxbow on the Mississippi River.

However, probably my fondest memories were going to spend two weeks in the summer with my grandfathers. (Then, opening cattle gaps and cutting grass seemed like great fun; now they are chores.) My Grandfather (Arnold Herring) always managed to keep a pond full of catfish for me to catch - I know, I was spoiled!

He taught me to drive a tractor before I was 10 years of age and before I was 12 I was driving a pickup; however, I had mastered the art of getting the pickup stuck - I had a natural affinity for water holes. I also had my own .22 rifle at the age of 5 and by age 6, I had a .410 shotgun. In fact, I still have them. And when my brother, who does not believe in guns, is not around, I am teaching his son, and my nephew, how to properly use them.

But I never thought about carrying guns to school. In the early '70s I shot a species of bird that I wasn't supposed to and my back side was introduced to the front side of a cedar paddle. Thought this was a fishing article, didn't you? Well, it still is.

Today, many kids are divorced from the land and are growing up in single parent families and are not becoming well-rounded by getting to know the land, how to handle guns or bows, or even getting to fish. Their "guardian" is a television screen and, more often than not, they are trying to shoot another human being on the screen or watching a movie about shooting someone - a far cry from John Wayne. Sorry Hollywood, you are not the only enlightened ones on the planet.

Like many homes that are blessed with the internet and satellite television, this great state is blessed with quality farm ponds, reservoirs, oxbow lakes, rivers and streams. We are also the beneficiaries of good fisheries management by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.

To celebrate National Fishing Week, the Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks has created two free fishing weekends on all state fishing lakes. At these state lakes, the $2 daily fishing permit has been waved on June 12 and 13; however, anyone fishing must comply with state license requirements.

Whether you own a gun, bow or fishing rod, or not, is a personal choice. However, during National Fishing Week, I encourage you to carry your son, daughter, niece or nephew fishing. The values it will instill will last a lifetime. And there is no better way to celebrate National Fishing Week. Good luck!

James L. Cummins is Executive Director of the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Stoneville, Mississippi. Known as "Wildlife Mississippi," the Foundation is a non-profit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore and enhance fish, wildlife and plant resources throughout Mississippi.