By JOSH SIGLER
Tribune sportswriter
Kokomo — Studies have shown that 80 percent of convicted felons never learned to fish growing up as children.
Scotty Lucas sees a correlation between the two.
“Parents are to be commended for teaching fishing to kids,” Lucas said. “If you see a kid, or have a friend who doesn’t get to fish for whatever reason, pack an extra peanut butter sandwich and take that kid, too.”
Lucas was in town Thursday as the keynote speaker of the final classroom day of the 27th annual Jim “Moose” Carden Kids Fishing Clinic. The trick fishing caster put on a show for the over 130 kids on hand at Kokomo High School’s auditorium.
Lucas could be likened to a Pablo Picasso with a fishing pole, casting his line wherever he wants it to go. He brought participant after participant on to the stage to have a little fun, unveiling tricks that included casting around a finger from 30 feet away, breaking a cigarette in half from across the stage, and landing his cork plug in a hat from 30 feet away.
He hoped that his tricks served a bigger purpose, however. Growing up in southern Kentucky, he learned to fish heavily grown river banks by perfecting an underhanded cast to avoid overgrown shrubs and tree limbs that stood above him. He’s turned a necessity, a cast that includes an underhand flick of the wrist, into a passion, and a living as well.
“I was just like these little kids, I loved to fish,” Lucas said. “I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity, being raised on a river, to walk out and fish any time I wanted, day or night.
“I’ve learned to do the things I do in order to put the bait where the fish are, and do it naturally. If you do it this way, I guarantee you’ll catch more fish.”
The biggest purpose that his routine serves, Lucas said, was teaching parents the importance of passing the trade of fishing down to the next generation.
“We hope that the appreciation [for fishing] is ingrained in a child at young age,” he said. “Things that you experience as a child stay with you throughout your life. I hope that the experiences [Thursday] are conveyed and passed along to their kids.
“Without interest in outdoor sports — pollution is a big thing right now, environmental consciousness; if nobody cares, we’re pretty much done — it’s going to keep getting worse and worse. I just hope that these kids can pass this on to their kids, and try to get everybody else involved.”
In the Kokomo area, involvement isn’t a problem. Chairman John Martino said that the clinic has to turn away more children than it accepts every year, due to a limited number of boats they can get in the water.
The clinic is put on over 12 days, and includes six sessions, where thousands of dollars worth of fishing equipment is given away every night. Thursday’s final classroom session will be followed up with the annual fishing tournament Saturday at Wildcat Creek Reservoir Park.
Martino said that it takes more volunteers than participants to put on this clinic, and was overly grateful for the help he’s received. Since its inception in 1984, over 3,500 children have had the opportunity to learn fishing at the Carden clinic. Carden was a renowned outdoors writer who started the clinic with Martino before passing away in 1988.
“I think Moose’s legacy is being honored by all the volunteers,” Martino said. “Everybody here that helps a kid, and tries to pass on the great tradition of fishing, is passing on Moose’s legacy.”
The clinic could not be put on without the over 200 volunteers, including Lucas, Martino said.
“The clinic has gone very well. The volunteers — enough cannot be said about them, because they are the ones that make it possible,” Martino added.
“People like Scotty, who drive six hours one way to give an hour presentation, he’s an example of what a good person is. He’s the biggest hit here — he’s a great guy.”
