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The video above is part of a  Fishing 101  series of videos produced by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department last year. There were 11 videos in the series and they were produced in response to research studies that indicated that one reason not as many people fish as in the past is that the tradition and skills of fishing are simply not being passed down from one generation to the next. As our society has become more urbanized, people are increasingly disconnected to nature and simply don’t know what to do to take up the sport. So what is the right bait to get folks involved in a pasttime they know nothing about? We’re finding that this video series has become an important hook in our tackle box. Many of the videos are very detail oriented and include info on what equipment is needed and how to use it as well as a variety of other topics important to a new angler. (I posted this one because it has lots of cute kids in in. This is our version of a kitten video!)

The videos were posted in June 2009 and we publicized them through several venues, including on-line, in press releases, video news reports, magazine ads, etc. Since 2009, the videos have been viewed more than 80,000 times on You Tube. We’ve inserted them into our PBS television series as well, which reaches another 250,000 Texas households. We’ve also distributed them to our volunteer angler education instructors and use them as prizes at various “learn to fish” events at Texas State Parks throughout the state.

We’ve received very good feedback from beginners and instructors. We’ve also received good feedback on-line as you can see on You Tube.

There is an expression that “content is king”…and others have recognized this video series as content they’d like to share. A cursory google search this morning revealed that the following websites have added links to the videos on their websites, creating yet another path for would-be anglers to find out about how to fish: Guide to S Padre Island, Get Reeled, Fishing Tackle Boxes, Hobby Fishing Tips, My Outdoor TVand even Japan Fishing Line!

I think you probably know my response to today’s question. Do I believe that this is an effective way to teach people how to learn a new skill? Absolutely! I think the track record of this particular series of videos is a testament to that and these videos are the “right bait” to reel in some new anglers. As social networking continues to permeate our society, the peer to peer recommendation of these videos will be yet another avenue to spread the word about how easy it is to get involved in fishing and how rewarding it can be.

Did I mention that fishing, specifically, the sale of fishing licenses and excise taxes on fishin equipment is key to funding conservation efforts in Texas and the rest of the country? This is more than fun and games. The future of conservation of our natural resources is at stake.

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