Off the Hook: A Family Pop Up Fishing Experience
**This post is sponsored by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation and Take Me Fishing, a national non-profit dedicated to increasing participation in boating and fishing. All opinions expressed are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting those that support Afternoon Espresso.
Last weekend, we partnered with Take Me Fishing to visit Off the Hook, a pop-up fishing experience that set up this unique opportunity across the nation to encourage people to #GetYourFishOn. We were lucky enough this adorable pop-up fishing experience landed in Pittsburgh so we could take Charlie fishing for the very first time!
Did you know that I’m not from Pittsburgh originally? I actually moved here for my husband’s job about 8 years ago and quickly became a city girl. Joey and I both grew up in a small town in West Virginia where we spent our free time riding four wheelers, fishing, and running around in open fields catching lightning bugs as children. We have plenty of close friends who were farmers and a lot of the time things seemed a bit slower pace growing up. The town has actually grown quite a bit, but those special memories are always near and dear to my heart.
I remember going fishing with my Dad when I was a little girl. We would go out in our backyard at night with a flashlight and find some worms so we could pack up the truck and head to the pond the next day. Naturally, I couldn’t leave the house without my blue and white Mickey Mouse fishing pole. I love having these memories with my Dad, who still loves to fish. Getting the opportunity to take Charlie fishing as a family brought back so many of those memories I had as a child fishing with my Dad. It made me take a step back from the hustle and bustle and slow down a bit. What better way to do that than going fishing? We know all too well how quickly time passes.
Off the Hook: A Pop-Up Fishing Experience
In an effort to encourage people to #GetYourFishOn, Take Me Fishing created Off the Hook, a unique pop-up fishing experience equipped with everything you could possibly need to have an enjoyable day of fishing with the whole family. They provided fishing poles, life vests, bait, and their expertise so that this experience would go seamlessly, emphasizing a fun atmosphere to make memories with the family. Even if you’ve never gone fishing at all, the experts were there to guide you along in the process!
Of course, there were a ton of cute areas for photo opportunities to capture these cherished memories. Off the Hook even provided the cutest snacks: goldfish, gummy worms, trading cards all packaged in a little tackle box. Could you get any cuter than that?
We weren’t lucky enough to catch anything that day, but I don’t think Charlie minded. She enjoyed playing with the worms at the bait shop. She actually really loved playing with the real worms by the river. I think because we had a really wiggly one. She thought it was hilarious. I may have been cringing a little inside.
I honestly can’t wait to go on another fishing adventure with Charlie! This pop-up fishing event was something different and new for us to experience right here in Pittsburgh. Did I mention this whole experience was free? YES! All it took was a little bit of time and some family bonding. Getting to see the pure joy and curiosity spark on Charlie’s face holding the fishing pole with her Daddy was priceless!
For more information on how you can get your family fishing and on the water, visit takemefishing.org.
Photography by Julie Kahlbaugh
