The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is hosting a second Grandfamilies Fishing Day in southern West Virginia on Saturday, October 10, 2020.
At the park's Camp Brookside Environmental Education Center near Hinton, West Virginia, the event invites grandchildren and their grandparents to participate free-of-charge and enjoy time in the great outdoors fishing or learning to fish.
Any grandfamily can attend, whether they know how to fish or not, according to Eve West, the park's chief of interpretation, visitor services, and cultural resources.
The event will feature knot-tying, casting techniques, fish identification, and Leave-No-Trace instruction, followed by the opportunity to practice casting into the New River.
Two sessions are planned, one starting at 8 a.m. with breakfast provided then fishing until noon. The afternoon session begins at 1 p.m. with lunch provided, then fishing until 5 p.m.
Families may sign up for whichever session works best for them, West said.
As a part of the event, grandchildren will receive one of the National Park Service's "Let's Go Fishing" Jr. Ranger activity booklet to work on before coming to the event.
When they attend the fishing day, they will be sworn in and awarded the Junior Angler Fishing badge.
For the safety of staff and participants, COVID-19 guidelines will be followed throughout the event. Each grand family will be provided with equipment and positioned at a safe distance along the New River to fish.
For more details and to register for the event, contact Ranger Mark Bollinger at mark_bollinger@nps.gov or 304-640-8731.
