Do you like the idea of high schools adopting kayaks instead of boats? A thread in the kayak section got me thinking.

-CPR (Catch, Photo, Release) format would teach high school students about conservation while still allowing them to showcase their angling skills to colleges.
-Kayaking promotes outdoor lifestyle and exercise.
-Schools could buy X number of kayaks to re-use throughout the years and outfit them with basic options like a paddle, 4" sonar only FF, anchor trolley system, rod holder, and milk crate. Students provide some gear/tackle and a PFD.

I like the idea. However getting a school to go for it might be difficult on the safety side of things. Schools could use the buddy system to where you must stay withing eye sight of you partner.

Thoughts?

Most kids these days wouldn't want to paddle, will their moms or dads do the paddling for them?

Just diluting a new up and coming sport by taking away from the start up of the Boaters division.

You got kids that don't have boat rides...What's the solution to that?

I'm a newbie but I'm telling you watch where this goes..When economy takes a nose dive and there are less boat captains and more kids joining the ranks then what do we tell them Sorry about your bad luck or here's another way to catch bass...

3A schools don't play 6A schools in sports for a reason. Some districts don't have funds for a new Hobie, but you could fund raise to get a few used ones online and start some competitions.

Guarantee we could stock 100+ kids up with extra shite we have lying around.

You'll tell them to find a captain.
There seems to be a misconception of belief here. No one is guaranteed a "right" to tournament fish. Youth or adult. You have to work to be able to do it and work harder to be good at it.
And, believe it or not, you can catch fish in a non-tourney setting and get just as much enjoyment out of it.
While I am a HS captain, believe in the program and put a lot onto it with my anglers - some people are not. It's also not my place to "get them on the water". It's their parents job and if the parents want to get their kids there- they will.
We have a team right now that the parents are mad because our director cannot find a captain for their kid. I mean flat out po'd about it... They've known since last spring but have not found anyone because it's not their job, it's the "directors". No, it's not.
Perhaps if these parents were that worried about it, the dad could have put money back all year and purchased some sort of boat so that their kids could fish.. and before I hear that some folks can't afford it - I understand. Then they can't afford it, any of it. No shame in that.

Tell the parents to buy a boat and start taking them fishing. So many on here have a tone that the fishing community owes these kids something.

If groups of parents want their kids to fish, go in equal partners in a boat for YOUR kids to fish. Or find a boat captain and offer to pay his boat note, all maintenance and any wear tear on his boat for the period he/she has the kids on his/her boat.

There are many who will do all of it for nothing, but there are also those that notice most these kids parents aren't broke and do have the means to make it happen for their own child.

Heck most of the kids participating in HS fishing are from families with incomes well over $75k a year, it's not like the high school anglers are mostly from lower income families.


There are many ways to skin a cat...

I'm in high school and I actually like this idea. I have fished from a kayak and its pretty fun but at the same time you get the exercise that alot of kids need. Too many people sit around and play video games and kayak fishing allows kids to get exercise doing something they enjoy.

Apples and oranges, look up erik jackson, one of the best kayak anglers in the world, entered the FLW tour this year and had his butt handed to him.