The Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ urban fishing program will once again partner with local youth organizations this summer to teach children throughout Chicago how to fish for free.
Since 1985, the program has connected with organizations offering summer camps — like CYC-Sidney Epstein Youth Center in North Lawndale and the Union League Boys and Girls Club’s Barreto Club in Humboldt Park — to teach upper elementary and middle school youth the fundamentals of fishing. Participants will learn how to bait a hook, cast a line and handle a caught fish, all with equipment provided for free.
“We want them to understand what it means to be an ethical angler,” said Jonathan Schlesinger, Chicago’s urban fishing program coordinator for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). “We want them to understand their role in the environment and what it means to appreciate and take care of nature in their neighborhood.”
Though this year’s official program schedule is still under development to start in late June, the IDNR is hiring nine conservation education representatives to teach the basics of fishing Monday through Friday at parks across the city — including the West Side’s Columbus Park, Douglass Park, Garfield Park and Humboldt Park.
These parks have lagoons where participants can practice fishing, but some youth organizations don’t have easy access to these areas. For them, instructors teach how to cast and about conservation at Chicago parks without lagoons.
“We do, of course, want to get groups on the water and provide Chicago kids with the opportunity to catch that first fish,” Schlesinger said. “But at the same time, we want to meet groups where they’re at and do as much of that angler and aquatic education where we can.”
At Chicago’s 13 parks with lagoons, the IDNR stocks fish to facilitate public fishing. While catfish have often been stocked in the past, this season, the organization is introducing hybrid sunfish into local lagoons.
Outside of using equipment provided during the urban fishing program, Schlesinger said that anglers can check out fishing combos — around 20 of which are available at Chicago’s public libraries and include a fishing rod, reel, plus bags of tackle and artificial bait — for free with a library card.
Children ages 15 and younger don’t need a fishing license, while those 16 and older can purchase a one-day or annual fishing license online or at a local sporting goods store.
The urban fishing program provides many of these children with their first introduction to fishing. Schlesinger himself is still learning how to fish. Although he said he had fun fishing as a kid, he wished he would have been involved in something like the urban fishing program.
“I was the type of kid who would race to the TV on a Saturday morning at 6 a.m. so that I could watch fishing shows and beat my sisters to the TV,” he said. “I’m really excited to provide this opportunity for kids who might have been like me as a kid, and have an interest in fishing but maybe not know where to start or not have a mentor in their life who can teach them.”
Organizations that have summer programs and are interested in partnering with the urban fishing program should email Jonathan.Schlesinger@Illinois.gov.