An era is nearing an end with the impending retirement of Duke O’Malley as director of his annual kids fishing extravaganza. After 20 years of introducing children–and their families–to the pleasures of fishing, O’Malley will cap his efforts in June.
O’Malley, a 72-year-old retired firefighter and passionate outdoorsman who writes about outdoor activities for the Daily Southtown, has one fishing party left on the calendar.
In mid-January, O’Malley accepted a plaque at the Chicagoland Outdoors Show honoring his commitment to “Youth Support.”
He estimated that after the final “Duke O’Malley’s Free Kids Fishing Derby” June 2 at Lake Shedwick in Orland Park, he will have treated 20,000 kids to a crash course in beginning fishing.
“If you can’t help a kid, who are you going to help?” O’Malley said.
One of the hallmarks of the event is that no child is charged to participate in a day of fishing and each walks away with a goody bag that includes a fishing rod and other utensils. Gear manufacturers always donate the necessities.
But O’Malley said the combination of his advancing age, domestic responsibilities and finding it harder to coax the suppliers into providing free equipment has led to his decision to end the event.
He would be happy to see someone else continue the effort, however.
“It’s getting harder and harder to get donations from people and from companies,” O’Malley said. “If someone else can do it, fine, sure.”
Typically, kids are accompanied by parents or other relatives and spend a day picnicking or soaking up sunshine, as well as fishing. But numbers have dwindled from 1,000 annually to perhaps 600, O’Malley said.
“Little Johnny has soccer practice today,” he said of competing activities.
O’Malley runs the show at the event, but the kids and families don’t see him on the phone all winter calling potential donors. And only other outdoor enthusiasts follow the fundraising efforts of the “Let’s Talk Fishing Show with Duke O’Malley& Friends.”
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O’Malley defrays much of the cost of hosting the kids fishing day when the snow is on the ground.
This winter, from noon to 3 p.m. each Saturday at the Evergreen Park American Legion Hall, 9701 S. Kedzie Ave., O’Malley has acted as master of ceremonies for an outdoors gathering indoors.
The programs began Jan. 13 and run through March 31.
Upcoming programs:
Feb. 3: Sun-Times outdoors writer Dale Bowman and Jim Crowley on Canadian pike.
Feb. 10: John Wright on going to “fishing school” and Frank Hyla on bass in Wisconsin.
Feb. 17: Jim Kopjo on open water and Mike Skwira on changing baits.
Feb. 24: Tisma Juett on Bass Pro Shops outdoors and Bob Wilson and Steve Shall on “Take A Kid Fishing.”
March 3: John Daley on muskie and muskie clubs and O’Malley on “What’s It All About” in the outdoors.
March 10: Ron Millzow on wake and sea charters and Don Dziedzina on “Fish n’ South.”
March 24: Karen DiPictro on professional muskie fishing and Jeff Miler on professional bass fishing.
March 31: Dziedzina and Steve Sarley, outdoors broadcast personality.
For more information on these shows call 708-899-4399.
Dziedzina, an outdoors TV and radio broadcaster, nominated O’Malley for the Chicagoland Outdoors Show award.
He said what his friend has done for 20 summers is provide a boost for the long-term health of the sport.
“We all know that the future of fishing is in the hands of today’s children,” Dziedzina said.
“For some of those who come out on Derby day, it will be their first fishing day.”
Woods and waters
Speaking of youth in sport, the National Shooting Sports Foundation announced that 8,000 shooters of high school age and younger participated in its Scholastic Clay Target Program in 41 states, including Illinois.
Youthful Illinois shooters have done well at the Grand American championships the last few years, including last summer when the new World Shooting and Recreational Complex opened in Sparta, Ill.
The 8,000 shooters were an increase of 41 percent over 2005.
Drivers with bad luck in dim light are far from the only Illinois residents killing deer in the state. According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the unofficial figure for the 2006-07 season was 197,287 deer harvested.