Giving Anglers The Tools To Be Successful

Champlain Valley BASS Club donates to the Lets Go Fishing Program. From left to right: Kris Martin - Club President, Corey Hart, LGF Director, Erik Rasmussen - Club Treasurer, Zachary McNaughton - Club Communications and Marketing Director

The Champlain Valley B.A.S.S. Club (formerly the Rutland B.A.S.S. Club) is proud to support the State of Vermont’s “Let’s Go Fishing” (LGF) program. Comprised of volunteer educators, the program is run by Corey Hart and serves all Vermonters through education and mentorship.

 On Sunday April 27, 2025 the Champlain Valley B.A.S.S. Club donated $2000 to the State of

Vermont’s “Let’s Go Fishing” program. The money will be used for the purchase and maintenance of LGF’s fishing related gear and to support the program’s mission to educate anglers of all ages statewide.  “Our members have been wanting to do something for a while,” club president Kris Martin said. “Many of the club’s members volunteer as educators in the Let’s Go Fishing program, and after learning more we realized that LGF is a programs that educates all ages of Vermont anglers in all areas of the state. It was important to our members that the donation was a significant contribution. The club has many members who are LGF volunteers and Corey has done an excellent job in his roleas the program coordinator and educator.”

Affiliated with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, LGF emphasizes that fishing is more than just catching fish. Instructors educate participants about water ecology, fish population, habitat and how to be stewards of aquatic resources. Proper fishing skills and ethics are also discussed along with the rules and regulations.

“LGF is the foundation of who our members are,” CVBC Tournament director Olivia Baroffio said. “We’ve all had someone to lean on and help us become better anglers and educators, and thanks to Corey (Hart) and the selfless volunteers of LGF we hope that the tradition of educating Vermonters continues.”

“The budget for the program is not endless, and this donation will go a long way towards the maintenance and purchase of equipment,” Hart said. “The younger kids can be a little rough on the gear at times, and that’s ok, we just want to make sure that everyone who wants to learn how to fish gets that opportunity.”

If you’d like to learn more about the Champlain Valley B.A.S.S. Club, please go to

www.champlainvalleybass.com. To learn more about the Let’s Go Fishing program, please go to www.vtfishandwildlife.com.