Fishing Camp

By Laurie Gordon

Andover Hunt & Fish offers summer fishing camps that afford kids access to private ponds and public lakes, streams and rivers. The program is run by Andover Hunt & Fish's general manager, Garrett Kazar and Tiffany Richardson.

“We run them all summer long and they are an absolute blast,” Richardson said. “We take the kids all over the area.”

Usually, parents will sign their kids up for 4-5 days at the beginning of the summer, then they work with everyone's' schedules to use those days, whether it be consecutive or spaced out.

“The more days you purchase, the bigger discount you receive overall on the camp,” Richardson said. “The pricing includes all of the bait and tackle as well as transportation to the different fishing sites and pizza.”

They take the kids for pizza about halfway through the camp as a refresher to get out of the sun, cool down in the air conditioning, and to hydrate. Andover Hunt & Fish brings a variety of tackle so the kids can constantly change up the bait.

“During our camp the kids will learn anything and everything about freshwater fishing,” Richardson said. “Whether they've never fished a day in their life or they've been fishing forever, this camp is perfect for everyone. Even kids who fish every day love to come to our camp because they are able to fish private ponds and also make new friendships with other local youth fisherman.”

The kids learn to properly removing hooks, to understand what fish can be kept, and what fish need to be safely returned to the water. For the fish they do keep, they return to the shop and show the kids how to clean and fillet them.

“We have been doing this camp for four years now, and are thankful to say have kids from year one still continue to come every year,” Richardson said. “Our main intentions during our camp are to get kids excited about fishing. All we want is to keep the kids outside and off the video games. It's very important to get kids interested in fishing while they are still young, that way we can continue to grow the population of anglers in Sussex County.”

She said that some kids even go home from camp and teach their parents how to fish.

As Andover Hunt & Fish moves into August, they will rearrange the store to incorporate hunting gear for the upcoming fall season. Kazar's guided hunts are already beginning to book up. These hunts include everything from bear hunts to deer and even duck, goose, and turkey. Andover Hunt & Fish is located at 196 Main St. in Andover.

To sign kids up for the upcoming weeks of fishing, call Richardson at 908-655-5694.