Frequently Asked Questions
  “Can I bring a gift for the Children?”

 Absolutley!
All gifts will be accepted and given out to the children, any fishing rods brought will be handed out first thing in the morning so the child can fish with his/hers new rod that morning. All other fishing related gifts will be given out at the picnic. It’s a great way to end the day for the children.
 

  
  “Can I get the same kids as last year?”
No, Unfortunately!
Wish-A-Fish would love to be able to do it, but it makes the day almost logistically impossible and here's why:
 

1. We have no idea which children are going to show up that day. They might be not feeling well, have something else come up, or whatever. In every event we've had there has always been someone who hasn't been able to make it... with children stuff just happens.
 

2. If the kids show up, the captain who took them last year might not be there (yet) for personal, mechanical, or other reasons. Therefore the families stand around waiting for him/her to show up all the time they could be on the water having fun.
 

3. At the morning sign-in it gets pretty busy with captains, volunteers, families, children, press, etc all going on at the same time. Our first priority it to get the kids on the boats as quickly as possible with captains who attended last year but were unable to take a child out. So stopping all of that activity to try and get the same child and captain together again REALLY SLOWS UP THE WHOLE PROCESS FOR EVERYONE.

 So here is the policy we developed due to these difficulties:
1. When the captain shows up they fill out a form so we know who is there right now. The first ones there go to the top of pile with the captains coming later going to the bottom. Special Captains who didn't get to take out a child have a special colored form and immediately go to the top of pile
 

2. When the family shows up we assign them to captains at the top of pile and walk them down the line to get their hat, T-shirt, fishing-pole, bait, tackle and lifejacket. This way the family is on the water within 10 minutes of arriving and they don't have to wait around (especially with children's short attention spans)
 

This is fairest way we've come up with to help move things right along, and it worked EXTREMELY well last year. The captain's then are able to grow their Wish-A-Fish family each year by adding more children. For all those captains who want to take out the same child as last year we encourage to call them up and arrange a one-on-one fishing day when it's convenient for everyone.

 The children love it and we don't have to (and shouldn't) limit helping needing children to one day a year.
 

  
  “Do we keep fish or practice Catch & Release?”
It’s your choice.
Our only requirement is that you follow the local regulations. I would let the family know if they are going to eat the fish then by all means keep whatever they will eat and is allowed by law, if they don’t plan to eat the fish then encourage them to release the fish to protect the resource. If they want to keep their fish they’ve been told they’ll need to provide a way to take them home (cooler, plastic bag, etc.)
 		  
  “Does WAF provide children’s life jackets?”

 Yes, thanks to the donations from BoatUS, Sterns, etc.
At check-in every child will be fitted with the correct sized life jacket. But you will need to provide any adults with your own lifejackets, but please demonstrate the proper fitting and use of life jackets to all guests on your boat.

In addition, the members of the dock committee will make sure that you have all the appropriate Coast Guard Safety Gear (Life Jackets, Flares, Horn, First Aid Kit, etc) aboard your boat before the families are loaded. This is to make sure that we, as responsible boaters, have done everything we can to ensure a safe and fun trip for everyone.
 		  
  “Does WAF provide the bait & tackle?”
 

Yes, but only to limited degree.
We are going to have available SOME live bait (bloodworms, nightcrawlers, shrimp, etc) plus top and bottom rigs, and hooks for you to use. Every Captain should plan on having on their boat:
- Extra Fishing Rods for their entire WAF family
- Extra Terminal Tackle
- Extra Bait (your choice)
- Ice for you cooler
 

  
  “What do I need to do the morning of the event?”

 Sign-in when you first arrive.
In the morning when you come, you will fill out a sign-in/release form with all of your information (name, message board name, address, boat description, and cell phone number) In the upper right corner for you to write the number of guests (Not including your first mate, etc.) you can accommodate on your boat. This will allow the people at the sign-in table to quickly determine which family will best fit it which boat. The larger boats will be tried to be paired up with the larger boats while the remainder will fill with the other families. A parent must sign the release form before they are allowed to come aboard, this is to protect both the Wish-A-Fish Foundation and you the individual boater.
 		  
  “Can I dock my boat at the ramp?”
Yes, but there may be limits at the state park.
Our events take place where there is a boat launch and piers for the boaters, but every location is unique and has its own requirements. Usually the piers and slips have a limited amount of space and can not be reserved for WAF boaters so it’s first come first serve. In previous years several boats came a little early to make sure they had a slip/pier to tie up too. Check with your local organizer to find out out about any restrictions that may be in place.
 		  
  “What about the Weather?”

 Let’s hope for clear skies and light winds!
Safety is our first concern so if the weather looks questionable WAF will make the decision on whether to postpone on the day before the event. If we do decide to postpone our event a make-up date has already been scheduled so hopefully everyone will be able to make it again. Unfortunately we have had to rescheudle an event due to thunderstorms and rain but everyone understands that these children fun and safety comes first.