Grade 5 students across Victoria will have the chance to become hooked on fishing, thanks to the Allan Labor Government's free Little Angler Kits.
Minister for Outdoor Recreation Steve Dimopoulos today announced the tender for the second batch of Little Angler Kits - to be rolled out at primary schools across Victoria next year.
The 82,500 kits will be distributed across nearly 1,900 schools in time for the 2026 September school holidays.
The Little Angler Kits have everything a first-time fishing enthusiast needs to get started including a fishing rod and reel with line, tackle box with tackle, and an eight-page Kids' Guide to Fishing outlining the basics of fishing safety, knots and rigs.
The Kids' Guide to Fishing also provides advice on the best baits to use, peak fishing seasons and hot spots across Victoria as well as colour illustrations of freshwater and saltwater species likely to be caught.
The initiative is funded by recreational fishing licence fees and complements the Labor Government's $96 million Go Fishing and Boating Plan to improve fishing, boating, piers and aquaculture.
There will be plenty of opportunities to reel in results. Victoria's fish stocking program leads the nation with 10 million fish released across Victoria for the third time in four seasons, more than every other state and territory combined.
The Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) is leading the Little Angler Kit rollout and has created a series of informative tutorial videos presented by VFA Ambassador Lee Rayner and Michelle Brittain from the Women in Recreational Fishing and Boating Network with step-by-step instructions on how to get started.
Translated versions of the Kids' Guide to Fishing, available in Vietnamese, Arabic, Hindi, Punjabi and simplified Chinese, complement the videos and are available from a kid-friendly web page at www.vfa.vic.gov.au/littleanglerkit
As stated by Minister for Outdoor Recreation Steve Dimopoulos
"We know parents are always looking for free activities and these Little Angler Kits are a great opportunity to get kids off screens and into nature."
"Fishing keeps Victorians healthy, builds friendships and strengthens local communities."
