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Show I THE READER'S DATE BOOK , Fishing Tackle Is Main Street's Big Business as Season Opens On any warm afternoon in May millions of home towners will be walking along Main Streets of the thousands of small communities across the nation. They'll be walking slowly, glancing in store windows as they pass. And suddenly they'll stop and stare. A dreamy, faraway far-away look will come into the eyes of some; others will mirror excitement. excite-ment. Ninety-nine chances out of each hundred, those home towners who stopped so suddenly will have caught the glimpse of a display of sporting equipment ranging from fancy rods and reels to bamboo poles in the local sporting goods or hardware store window. For May is "Let's Go Fishing Month," and the fishing fever rises to the boiling point in neophyte neo-phyte and expert. The most popular pop-ular sport in America, fishing attracts at-tracts young and old alike. Americans, who nearly go wild over basketball, football 'XISif and baseball, go F1FiJ"JPT completely over-.Sin&ifef over-.Sin&ifef board for fishing. FEATURE From the oldest to the youngest, there's a hypnotic fascination about rods, reels, lines and lures that they can not resist. Americans spend millions for fishing fish-ing equipment and it's the wise Main Street merchant that displays dis-plays it prominently and attractively.. attrac-tively.. The amazing thing about fishing is the attraction it holds for millions mil-lions of children. It might be just a cane pole, a hook, a line, and sinker they have for equipment, but it spells adventure and thrills. In this connection, many towns in the country have encouraged en-couraged fishing during recent years as one of the ways to curb juvenile delinquency. Many local Kiwanis and Rotary clubs have picked up the idea of Better Bet-ter Fishing Inc., a national organization or-ganization with headquarters in Chicago, dedicated to introducing introduc-ing boys and girls to the fun and thrills of the angler's art, and sponsor Better Fishing Rodeos later in the summer. The Rodeos, one day affairs, are preceded each year with weeks of fishing fiestas, 'which are a warm-up warm-up period for the national celebration, celebra-tion, when youngsters are taken on organized fishing trips by parents and civic leaders who believe in teaching children the art and benefits bene-fits of good sportsmanship while they are most susceptible to learning. learn-ing. On" the big day, National Boys and Girls Better Fishing Day, moppets mop-pets sporting equipment ranging from rods and reels to plain bamboo bam-boo poles troop to local lakes, ponds, and streams to compete for the national "Kings," and "Queens," titles and collect the BFI and local merchant donated prizes that go with victory. Any boy or girl can compete if he or she is under the legal fishing license li-cense age of 16. Ages usually run from a toddling four years to the limit. Each contestant is allowed any legal sports fishing tackle, but may use only one hook and line, and must do his or her angling from the shore no boats allowed. A rule which ts probably a boon to the youngsters who like to do things themselves, but puts quite a strain on excited parents, is the one which limits landing assistance to the realm of verbal comments. It takes a strong-willed father or mother to control the urge to "lend a hand" when the offspring snags a fighting fish. To the boys and girls who successfully land the heaviest fish in species from sunfish to the salt water variety go national na-tional titles, and angling outfits. out-fits. It is seldom that any contestant con-testant 1 e a v es the fishing grounds emptyhanded. Local merchants and service clubs seem to have a way of digging up prizes for all. And while all these activities are being planned for the children, it is becoming a rare community indeed in-deed that is not sponsoring fishing contests for the grownups of the community during the summer. In many communities local merchants, in cooperation with local publications, publica-tions, sponsor monthy contests with prizes for the biggest catch. In other localities the contests are conducted on a fishing season basis. The idea of fishing as a sport to be sponsored on the local level is finding increased popularity because be-cause it fosters health and productive produc-tive activity linked with enjoyment. It is finding increasing popularity also as a means of bringing parent and children together in an atmosphere atmos-phere of clean, uninhibited fun. Although some hard-shelled veterans of the rod and reel may scoff at the benefits or even the sanity of bringing a fishing pole and a young lady together, the BFI refutes any doubts they might profess. The girls have more than held their own with the males. Some fishing veterans will tell you it is a good idea indeed. For instance, if the husband arrives home loaded down with new fishing fish-ing tackle instead of the fur coat she expected, the wife will understand under-stand because she too enjoys the sport and is probably a devoted angler herself. Instead of packing for the return trip to mother, she will be well satisfied with the purchase pur-chase of a fishing outfit. At least, that's the theory. |