STEPHENVILLE (April 17, 2019) — Nearly two dozen youngsters spent Friday afternoon giggling and catching largemouth bass with the help of Tarleton Bass Club members during their annual Fishing for Foster’s outing.
Children ages 5 to 18 who live at the Stephenville-based Foster’s Home for Children were invited to Rough Creek Lodge & Resort for several hours of fishing on a private lake where participants were all smiles after reeling in one bass after another.
“The event is designed to teach them about fishing and enjoying the outdoors,” said club president Wyatt Young. “Many of these kids don’t ever get to fish and some have never been fishing before, but it’s nice to see them all have a great time.”
Now in its sixth year, Fishing for Foster’s lets the children try their hand at baiting a hook, casting a line into the water and, if they’re lucky, reeling in a fish. Friday’s catches included several nice-sized largemouth bass, while other kids just enjoyed the serenity of the countryside between Stephenville and Glen Rose.
Reeling in that first-ever fish elicited squeals of excitement as Bass Club volunteers assisted with landing bass from the lake’s edge, removing the hook and handing over the largemouths for a photo op before releasing them back to the water.
The experienced collegiate anglers deployed a variety of artificial baits, teaching the youngsters how to cast their lines and use everything from top-water jitterbugs to spinners along the bank. Some in the group were eager to learn the ins and outs of displaying their bait, while more “seasoned” amateur anglers from Foster’s Home and repeat participants shouted instructions to their peers. And when a fish was hooked, all came running for a closer look.
“Most children who come into our care have never enjoyed some of the simpler pleasures of life. This includes fishing,” said Glenn Newberry, president and CEO of Foster’s Home for Children. “For a number of years, the Tarleton Bass Club has planned in detail an afternoon for our kids to fish an area lake. It’s the norm to hear a number of children say this is their first time to ever go fishing.
“The afternoon that the Tarleton students invested in our children will be a memory they cherish. They talked about the trip all the way home. What a joy to see college students, who could have spent their Friday evening a hundred different ways, spend it instead on building relationships with our kids. We thank them for their unselfish afternoon of service to children of trauma.”
Local lender Lone Star Ag Credit provided participants and their foster parents with a tailgate dinner. Rough Creek Lodge’s wildlife recreation and equine manager, Tarleton alumnus (and former Bass Club angler) Tanner Morgan, arranged to host the group at the resort’s El Colina Lake.
For more information on the Tarleton Bass Club, visit www.tarleton.edu/bassclub.
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