Countdown Is On to Boating & Fishing Season - Practice Your Skills While Playing 'Catch A Boat' Online

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- It's time to start the countdown to a new boating and fishing season. And even with snow blanketing much of the country, sunny days and thawing temperatures are right around the corner. To encourage boating and fishing in 2010, the Take Me Fishing™ campaign is kicking off the "Catch A Boat" online fishing tournament, with a chance to win a new boat, motor and trailer. Every cast gets players closer to winning the grand prize - a new Sylvan boat with an Evinrude motor and a trailer. Participants may be eligible to win daily prizes from one of Take Me Fishing's additional partners – Bass Pro Shops, Rapala, Plano and South Bend Sporting Goods. Back by popular demand, the "Catch A Boat" contest will go live at noon CT on January 25, 2010 and end on March 1, 2010. For Official Rules and eligibility information, visit TakeMeFishing.org.  

Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) President and CEO Frank Peterson, the nonprofit organization that manages the national Take Me Fishing campaign, shares three reasons families should consider getting on board with fishing and boating this year. "First, research shows fishing is the number one gateway activity to get children interested in other outdoor activities. Second, it's affordable and local. And third, when you purchase a fishing license, equipment or supplies, that money goes back to conservation projects that keep our nation's waterways clean and fish populations healthy." Since 2005, RBFF has played a critical role in introducing more than one million youth and newcomers to boating and fishing, while helping generate nearly $20 million for state conservation efforts.

Before casting a line, get caught up on preparations for your upcoming adventures.  Visit TakeMeFishing.org, the ultimate boating and fishing resource for outdoor enthusiasts. Visitors to the site can learn everything they need to know to plan a day on the water while searching for tens of thousands of places to boat and fish in the U.S. Boaters and anglers can also join TakeMeFishing.org's social network Fishington – the Fishing and Boating Capital of the Internet, and follow the campaign on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About RBFF

RBFF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase participation in recreational angling and boating, thereby protecting and restoring the nation's aquatic natural resources. RBFF helps people discover, share and protect the legacy of boating and fishing through national outreach programs including the Take Me Fishing™ campaign and Anglers' Legacy™.

SOURCE Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation