Matt “CatMatt” Jones believes teaching children how to fish can help them grow into responsible adults.
As chair of the 2024 Catfish Academy for Kids, he’s seeking donations of rods and reels, or money, so each
youngster can go home with everything he or she needs to start catfishing.
Donations Needed for Children’s Event
By Keith Sutton
Your contribution can help this year’s Catfish Academy for Kids be a roaring success.
One of things we love most about catfishing is the fact that it’s a family-oriented sport that embraces adults and children alike. Many events throughout the year include activities for youngsters that allow them to experience the joys inherent in the pursuit of whiskerfish. One of those activities is the Catfish Academy for Kids held during the annual Catfish/Crappie Conference (CatCon).
This year’s Academy, and CatCon itself, will take place February 23-24, 2024 at the Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky. To make it successful, organizer Matt “CatMatt” Jones needs your help.
“The Catfish Academy for Kids is a spin-off from the old Catfish Academy, which was a large popular group in the late 1990s and early 2000s,” Jones says. “We interacted online and also in person at events called Catfish Camps. Now that we’re older, we have turned our attention more to getting kids involved. The Catfish Academy for Kids is a live teaching event we do at CatCon that allows us to teach kids a ton of stuff hands-on from people who have been doing it for decades. Kids who attend will be able to learn things like casting, how to use drag to fight fish, hooking up a planer board, mixing up cheese bait, bank-fishing tips and how to prepare cut-bait. This year, on top of that, they will learn how one of the best YouTubers on the planet sets up and films his shows, and some kids will get a chance to be in his live stream.”
Jones says the organizers also want to make sure that kids go home with some cool catfishing stuff. They already have donations from BossKat, G&S Cheesebait, Madkatz, Offshore Tackle, Stay Alive Stringer, F.O.A., Flathead Freaks Catfishing Adventures and others. But Jones wants to step up their game this year and make sure all the youngsters are able to leave with a rod and reel.
“This is my second year to run the Catfish Academy for Kids, and my goal is to hand out at least 200 rods and reels,” he says. “But I can’t do that without some help. We haven’t done much fundraising yet as this is a relatively new event, so we need donations of rod and reels, money to purchase rods and reels or even gift cards. The tackle can be as simple as Barbie or Snoopy poles, Zebco combos or other age-appropriate items. You can also donate money via PayPal or Venmo. To do so, contact Michelle at mockshelli71@gmail.com. She can provide all the information you need, including a mailing address for product donations. Your help will be greatly appreciated!”
For more information, check out the Catfish Academy for Kids Facebook page.
