Author: Harold L. Schramm, Jr.
Urban and community fishing programs generate numerous benefits to anglers, municipalities, and fisheries management agencies that are documented in other presentations in this symposium, as are guidelines for effective development of available aquatic resources. But not all towns and cities have aquatic resources that can be developed into useful fishing opportunities either because the aquatic resources do not exist or because the social or political will does not exist to develop them. For many of these towns and cities fishing opportunities are available nearby at venues such as water supply reservoirs, county forest preserves, state parks, state fishing lakes, National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, and other public lands. Opportunities may also exist on private lands, such as those owned by youth organizations, churches, or corporations. In some cases, the urban fishing benefits can be achieved by simply advertising the availability of these opportunities. In other situations it may be desirable to provide scheduled public transportation to these venues and possibly work in partnership to enhance access to the fishery resource by developing shore access or boat or canoe liveries. Such resources can be ideal sites for fishing clinics that can range from half-day outings to week-long fishing camps.