Fishing Clinics Starting

With June just around the corner The Erie County Federation of Sportsmens Clubs (ECFSC) is preparing for our annual fishing clinics at Tifft Nature preserve and Chestnut Ridge park. The State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) are also co-sponsors of these clinics. The Tifft Nature Preserve clinic is on June 10 th and the Chestnut Ridge clinic is on June 24 th. They start at 9:30 AM and run to 12:30 PM. The format is the same as in the past with children and their parent/guardian first checking in at the registration desk. They then go through a series of “learning stations” such as Knot tying, Fish Identification, etc. They have a punch card which is punched at every working station for verification. They must go through all working learning stations. When completed they drop the fully punched cards into a container at the registration desk.

If they have their own fishing equipment they can go fishing after obtaining the bait at the fish equipment station. The people without fishing equipment obtain fishing equipment and bait. Federation and DEC volunteers and will police our fishing area and assist the novice fishermen were needed. If a fish is caught they should bring it back to the equipment station where it is measured and released temporarily into the lunker pool. After several hours of fishing names will drawn from the punched cards and prizes will be awarded based on the child’s age.

This is the 25 th year that the ECFS has been running this popular program. The ECFS will also be assisting at several other fishing clinics. They will be at Bison City Rod and Gun June 4th, East Aurora Rod and Gun June 3rd and Southtowns Walleye Associations July 22nd fishing clinics. Watch for the time of these events on the internet or local news paper and be sure to check the ECFSC calendar page for more information.

If you’re an Erie County resident with children under 16 years of age before March 2024 be sure to register your children on our website for the ECFS annual lifetime license
program. We give away approx 6 each year and this drawing is held at our annual December meeting at the Bison City rod and Gun club.

Erie County residents are encouraged to stop at the Federation booth in the Conservation building at the upcoming Erie County Fair and sign the children up for a chance to win a fish pole and reel. The ECFS will be giving away 2 pole/reel combinations every day.

The ECFSC sincerely thanks the fraternal order of the Eagles for their donations totaling 2000 dollars to the lifetime license for children of Erie County residents. The ECFSC also thanks Bison City Rod and Gun for their donation of 400 dollars to the aforementioned fund.

Joseph Fischer