A new year brings new opportunities with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) fishing programs. LDWF is hosting free Aquatic Volunteer Instructor workshops beginning this month. With respect to social distancing and sanitizing, workshops will be led by LDWF biologists and attendees will have the opportunity to learn about fishing and other fishery-related topics.
Through LDWF’s Aquatic Volunteer Instructor Program (Aquatic VIP), volunteers will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to teach youth about fishing and fisheries management subjects. The workshop offered through this program is perfect for teachers, Scout leaders, homeschoolers, and anyone who enjoys fishing and the outdoors!
The workshop is open to all and attendees will receive the training necessary to become a volunteer instructor, a vital ally in LDWF’s efforts to increase fishing participation and wise utilization of natural resources across Louisiana. Topics and activities include knot tying, casting skills, basic fishing techniques, fish identification, fisheries management and more. All attendees will be provided with lesson plans and activity guides for grades K-12, as well as additional educational materials.
After completing the 5-hour workshop and passing a background check, volunteers will have access to the equipment necessary to teach these topics to others. For example, if you’ve always wanted to host your own fishing clinic for youth, but didn’t have the materials and resources to run one, then this is your solution! We can provide fishing rods with basic tackle, a knot tying kit, arts and crafts activities, and more.
Aquatic VIP 2021 Workshops:
•January 23 – Baton Rouge
•February 27 – Metairie
•March 13 – Woodworth
•March 20 – Houma
If you cannot make this particular workshop but have a group of people interested in taking this training together, please contact Heather David at (225) 763-5415 or at
