Day 2 Collier County Fishing Camp: Naples Pier

Today we took our fishing camp do a little fishing at the Naples Pier. Unfortunately the bite wasn't that great and I think more kids ended up empty-handed than those who caught fish. Today's catch included mangrove snapper, pinfish, ladyfish, and catfish. There were several "claims" of snook on the end of the some of the students' lines, but alas, they never materialized. The kids did get to see a dolphin jumping out of the water several times as well as a loggerhead sea turtle who popped up its head near the pier. Shrimp was the bait of choice today, and like all other camps, their was a learning curve for the students on how to handle and bait their hooks. By the end of the day they seemed to be more comfortable with handling the shrimp. The experience at the pier lent itself to a good discussion on proper fish handling practices as the students witnessed several examples of other anglers incorrectly handling their catch, particularly snook. I'm glad they recognized holding a fish with a towel (especially a dry one) is not recommended nor is holding a fish vertically  without supporting its body with the other hand. Once we returned to our classroom we watched a video produced by FWC on catch and release practices to reinforce what we saw and discussed. We ended the day with an activity that works on measuring fish and reading the regulations to see if they are legal or not. Enjoy the pictures!

The only keeper of the day: a 10 1/2 inch mangrove snapper

Learning the art of grabbing a live shrimp out of the bucket

A team approach to grabbing shrimp

Fish on (OK it was just a pinfish, but it was still a fish!)

One of several catfish caught during the day

Pinfish were a popular catch today

Trying their luck around the pier's pilings

Practicing correctly measuring a fish... notice he's pinching the tail together

Reeling a spotted seatrout during our Casting for Conservation activity.

If only this was the real thing.. He was still proud of his catch!