Kidsday: Saltwater fishing

Fishing is really fun. There is saltwater, freshwater and brackish water fishing (that's where fresh water mixes with saltwater). For saltwater fish you need a saltwater fishing rod, a bucket to keep the fish in, bait, lures, tackle box, a net, weight, fishing hook and a fishing line.

You put your weight almost right above the hook. You also need to put bait or a lure on your hook. To use a lure, you cast the rod with the lure on, then reel it back in. To cast the fishing rod, you put your thumb on the line right next to the reel. Pull the fishing rod back, then swing the rod forward while you're letting go of the line with your thumb. You have casted the rod.

When you're done casting with bait on your hook, you keep the line in the water. When you feel a tug from the line, you reel it in by turning the crank on the side of the fishing rod. If you can't grab the fish and bring it to land with your hand, you take your net, then catch the fish and carry it to land with the net.

You can fish in the water at the beach or you can go on a boat in the ocean. The place I like to fish is on a boat, and I like to catch striped bass and fluke.

These are some other really great species you can fish for: flounder and bluefish.

The fish you should start out catching are blackfish, striped bass and bluefish.

I live near the East End of Long Island, and the fishing is great!

MY WAX FIGURES

Have you ever had Babybel cheese? Delicious, right? Well, what do you do with the wax wrapping the cheese comes in? Most people throw it out, but not me. I like to turn the wax into cute critters. Molding the wax into shapes is a fun hobby of mine.

Here is a hint: Make sure the wax is nice and soft before you start molding it. You can make it softer by just warming it and rolling it in your hands. When you are done, you can add eyes and a mouth just by using a pencil and drawing lines on the critter. Have fun, and don't forget to eat the cheese!

-- KATIE ST. GEORGE/Kidsday Reporter

CLASS OF THE WEEK Kim Trava's fifth-grade class, RAYNOR COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL, Speonk