LIMA, OH (WLIO) - It was all smiles as some lucky students from Lima's West Middle School took a fishing expedition.
Several of these students have never had the chance to fish or ride in a boat, but that all changed today. It has become an annual event that the City of Lima's Park and Recreation and Utilities Department, along with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, provide for Allen County students. Rods, reels, wax worms, and instructions are provided for the kids to have a great experience. 7th and 8th graders even got the chance to go aboard a small boat and take a spin around Sertoma Pond in Faurot Park. The goal of the event is to teach the youngsters a new life skill.
"To get these young men and women to learn about boat safety, they learn about fishing, the regulations, what we need to catch, what we need to throw back. We do all catch-and-release here. But it teaches them how to be self-sufficient, and that's what we're striving for, and that we get them out and about and fishing not just today but later on in life throughout all their life skills," explained Randy Kohli, Lima Utilities security officer.
Kohli has been heading up the student fishing event since 2018 and says they see upwards of 600 kids each year.Â
