Today we are very excited to share an interview with author Dan Armitage!
Read on to learn more about the author, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: Dan Armitage
Dan Armitage leads a popular Kids’ Fishing Fun program at sport shows and retail outlets across the United States that teaches children the basics of fishing. He’s a freelance writer for Cabin Life and more than a dozen other fishing, boating, and outdoor publications; a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America; a USCG-licensed Captain; and former host of the Buckeye Sportsman radio show. He lives with his wife in Ohio, where he serves on his community’s parks and recreation commission.
Website * Instagram * X * Facebook * Pinterest
About the Book: Let’s Learn to Fish!
Grab a fishing rod and head out to a nearby stream or lake for a fishing adventure! In this skills-based book, kids ages 6 and up go on a fishing trip, led by author and fishing guide Dan Armitage of the Kids’ Fishing Fun Program, and learn essential techniques, facts, and tips to learn how to fish and catch a big one! Step-by-step color photography shows everything kids need, the best beginner bait and tackle, key fishing skills such as rigging, casting, and reeling in fish, and tips on where to fish for crappies, bass, catfish, perch, trout, and more. Kids record fishing adventures in the log at the back of the book. The skills teach fun fishing know-how, connect kids to nature, and foster independence and self-reliance.
~Author Chat~
YABC: What research did you do to write this book?
Other than verifying the latest data on the popularity of fishing, none. I enjoy writing magazine articles and columns that I can produce using my own first-hand experience and knowledge of a particular subject. I approached writing Let’s Learn to Fish! in the same manner, albeit 30 times longer than my average 1,000-word assignment.
YABC: What is your favorite fish?
Bluegill sunfish. As with many freshwater anglers, a bluegill was my first fish and I’ve probably caught more of them than all other fish species combined. Bluegills are found just about everywhere, can be caught year-round – including through the ice — are easy to catch with simple tackle and techniques, fight like a fish twice their size when hooked, have beautiful coloring, and taste great.
YABC: What other resources would you recommend for people that are interested in learning more?
Contact your state or local wildlife agency to learn about resources and programs they make available for beginning anglers of all ages. Often, they can even direct you to local fishing areas and piers that are set aside for kids. You can also visit your local library to get books about fishing and what fish may be available locally that you want to try to catch.
YABC: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
In sixth grade when I read my first fishing article in Outdoor Life magazine and noted that it was written by a guy who lived in my midwestern hometown – not in popular fishing states such as Florida, Montana, or Michigan, where I assumed all outdoor writers got to live and work.
YABC: How do you keep your ‘voice’ true to the age category you are writing within?
I have a degree in Education, and I lead fishing programs for kids at sport shows and outdoor retailers, so I am used to talking with kids. That and some advice I received from my first newspaper editor, who was always reminding those of us in the newsroom that we were writing to reach readers who had the average of a seventh grade reading level.
YABC: What is your favorite writing space?
It must be my home office, home computer, home land line. I still use a 30-year-old combo phone/thermal fax machine, a hard-wired mouse and well-worn keyboard that has outlived three computers. I cannot write on a laptop.
YABC: What do you do when you procrastinate?
Walk around in my back yard pretending to tend to my small vegetable garden.
YABC: Do you read fiction or nonfiction more during your leisure time?
Non-fiction. I like to learn when I read, which I do primarily on my Kindle while exercising on a Lifecycle in the gym at the local community center. As an aside, I am vice-chair of the local parks and recreation department board, which operates the community center.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
Depending on how this first book experience goes, and so far it’s been great, I’m hoping to write a book for kids on how to get started in paddle sports, including stand-up paddleboards, canoes, rowboats, and kayaks. All such activities are in uber growth mode right now and I haven’t been able to identify any books directed at kids to introduce them to paddle sports.
Title: Let’s Learn to Fish! Everything You Need to Know to Start Freshwater Fishing
Author: Dan Armitage
Release Date: March 12, 2024
Publisher: Storey Publishing
ISBN-10: 1635865824
ISBN-13: 978-1635865820
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
Age Range: 6+
*Giveaway Details*
Three (3) winners will receive a copy of Let’s Learn to Fish! Everything You Need to Know to Start Freshwater Fishing (Dan Armitage) ~ US Only!
*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway!*
This sounds like a great book to encourage families to get outside.