Disabled Youth Gladly Give In to Lure of Fishing Expedition

About 500 developmentally disabled youth experienced the joys of fishing, many for the first time, as they angled for rainbow trout in Anaheim with the help of volunteers from the Easter Seal Society of Southern California.

Among the eager participants lining the banks of the Santa Ana River Lakes on Friday was Cristina Munoz, 18, from Santa Ana.

She not only experienced the thrill of catching a fish on a warm spring day, but she didn’t seem to mind getting her hands messy as she cleaned the foot-long trout.

“It was exciting,” said Munoz, a first-time angler. “I went, ‘I caught a fish!’ ”

The occasion was the 15th annual “Learn-to-Fish” program, an all-day field trip attended by special-education students throughout Orange County. About 8,000 students have taken part in the event over the years.

“They love it here,” said Mel Coe, a teacher who works with disabled students at Saddleback High School.

“It’s an opportunity to get out and enjoy things that a lot of other kids do all the time.

“The fish aren’t biting quite as much as last year,” Coe added.

“But it doesn’t matter. The kids seem to be having a good time.”

Volunteer Tim Wallace, a bus driver with the Huntington Beach Union High School District, took the day off work so he could share his fishing techniques with the children.

He was using a smorgasbord of bait, ranging from salmon eggs to garlic cheese, to help the children land a trophy fish.

“They get very excited when they catch a fish,” Wallace said. “Their eyes light up. It really makes our day.”

Laura Sanchez, an administrative assistant with the Easter Seal Society, said the youth “walk away with the feeling of accomplishment” after spending a day at the lake acquiring new skills.

“They come out here and they learn the whole process of fishing, from tying on hooks, to putting on bait to catching the fish. It’s about making new friends, getting physical, getting dirty.”

Coordinating the approximately 200 volunteers at the event was Anaheim resident Marlon Meade, who has participated in all 15 “Learn-to-Fish” programs.

Meade is an avid fisherman, but he was too busy handling logistics to try for a share of the 3,500 pounds of fish that had been stocked in the lake early that morning. He had to keep track of 500 fishing rods, 500 reels, 3,000 hooks, 3,000 swivels, 3,000 sinkers and other assorted gear.

“Once you come out here, you get hooked on this,” Meade said as he rested under a shady tree. “These are very lovable kids. The volunteers always go home on cloud nine.”