KETCHUM, Okla. Sebastian T. Bobber, the Official Spokesbobber of Youth Fishing, now has his own web sitelet Sebastian's Corner just for young anglers.
"This is where I like to hang out when I'm not on the water," Sebastian tells visitors to his homepage, a major part of www.kids-fishing.com. Sebastian's Corner helps kids send a fishing "e-vite" to their dad, mom or friends. In "Build an Award Certificate" young anglers can create custom achievement certificates like "My First Fish" and "My Largest Fish." Sebastian offers a Tip of the Month and also stars in his own comic strip, Sebastian's World.
In Ask Sebastian, he answers fishing questions. Older anglers might be interested to know that the most commonly asked question by young anglers, as it is with older anglers, is What bait or lure do I use? Even politics, of a sort, comes into play in Sebastian's Corner. In the User Poll section young anglers can vote on important fishing issues such as which bait catches more fish, worms or minnows?" Young people who visit Sebastian's Corner online are encouraged to select it as their own internet homepage.
The little bobber has a big audience-in-waiting. Sebastian was created by the same people who arranged for 300,000 kids to fish this year in the Wal-Mart Kids All-American Fishing Derby. Indeed, more than 7 million kids, from 6 to 16, and their family members have fished the events since the program started 18 years ago.
HOFI predicts the number of events will jump from 1,800 in 2003 to more than 2,000 events in 2004. Organizations interested in hosting an event in 2004 can apply online at www.kids-fishing.com for a free derby kit which contains all of the items necessary to put on a local derby, including, an organizer handbook, prizes and goodies for each derby participant.
In addition to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the Kids All-American Fishing Derby program benefits from its 2003 partnerships with Bar-S Foods Company, Berkley PowerBait, Berkley Trilene, ConAgra Foods, Dubble Bubble Bubble Gum, Eagle Claw, EverStart Batteries, FishingWorld.com, Fujifilm, Johnson & Johnson First Aid Pocket Pals, Kellogg's, Kraft Foods, Laker Fishing Tackle and Zebco.
