Announcing the 2026 IGFA Summer Education Camps
The busy camp season is upon us. With a variety of fishing camps about to take off, the IGFA expects to reach nearly 500 youth with these multi-day programs in the next four months. Check out what we have in store for 2026 and stay tuned for updates!
Starting us off is the return of the Cabo Kids Fish Camp that will take place later this month in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Established in 2025 by the Terry and Linda Smith Legacy Fund, this camp will take 30 local youth on a three-day adventure with the IGFA, Pisces Sportfishing, FONMAR, Minerva’s Baja Tackle, and Cabosurfcaster. Sporting new camp shirts provided by Pelagic with new art designed by artist and Connected by Water podcast host Dennis Friel.
Camp will begin with presentations about the history of Cabo sportfishing, presented by Rebecca Ehrenberg, whose family founded Pisces Sportfishing in 1978 and has grown to become a leader in promoting game fish conservation. An IGFA Passports to Fishing clinic will occur in the afternoon, led by FONMAR, who is also committed to the promotion of responsible, sustainable sportfishing in Baja California Sur, Mexico, by hosting numerous fishing clinics for youth, women, kids with special needs, and even adults in conjunction with major sportfishing tournaments. Day two will take the camp touring the largest tackle shop in Los Cabos, Minerva’s Baja Tackle, which has been a longtime IGFA Representative, before heading to the beach to surf fish with IGFA Ambassador and World Record Holder Wesley Brough. Day three will take the youth offshore with Pisces Sportfishing Fleet and Minerva’s into the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortez, putting their new skills to the test while targeting popular game fish and hopefully, accomplishing some Junior World Records in the process. Last year, one camper successfully set the female 16 lb. Junior line class record on conventional tackle for Pacific Jack Crevalle!
Right after the Cabo Camp, the IGFA Education staff will be busy throughout June, hosting three Reel Into Fishing camps in Florida, U.S., in collaboration with the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Cooperative Extension and 4-H Youth Development programs. Camps will occur in Palm Beach and Martin County thanks to the support of IGFA Hall of Famer Nick Smith. A new camp will take place on the west coast in Hillsborough County thanks to the support of the American Sportfishing Association’s (ASA) FishAmerica Foundation, and their Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3) grant. Each camp will follow the same three-day structure, with day one serving as the classroom day explaining the basics of recreational fishing, rod rigging, and interacting with industry-related professionals. Day two will take them touring various industry-related facilities, including Michael Rybovich & Sons Boatworks, Danco Sports, and Bass Pro Shops. The IGFA is also happy to announce a new partnership with AMIkids, which will help us expand these Reel Into Fishing camps in Florida, U.S., by hosting two sessions in June as a youth empowerment fishing initiative for youth in St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
Reel Into Fishing camps are designed to introduce older youth to potential careers and fields of study in the fishing and boating industry while teaching them the basics and taking them fishing from shore and by boat. By combining classroom-based learning, hands-on fishing instruction, conservation education, and direct exposure to career pathways within the fishing and boating industry, campers build their confidence, skills, and identity as anglers, expanding from one-time fishing experiences into a long-term, self-sustaining involvement in recreational fishing. We’re also excited to expand the Reel Into Fishing camps to the Great Lakes region in Macomb County, Michigan, U.S., in July, working alongside Michigan State University’s Cooperative Extension and 4-H Youth Development, thanks again to the FishAmerica Foundation’s R3 grant. It will be the first time bringing one of these camps to an all-freshwater location! We will host the camp out of Lake St. Clair Metropark and are already scheduled to work with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Lake St Clair Walleye Association, the local Bass Pro Shops, among others, for the three-day excursion.
Also, throughout July, IGFA Education staff will be hosting introductory week-long fishing camps as summer specialty programs for the City of Aventura and the City of North Miami Beach in Florida, U.S. Designed for younger anglers, our curriculum will progress from learning what a fish is and where they live to land-based and charter boat fishing excursions across South Florida. We want to thank Fish Florida for their generous support of all our Florida-based camp programming, which has supported the IGFA’s Fishing Summer Camps in Florida for more than twenty years.
Just when you thought June and July were busy enough, let’s not forget to mention that we will be hosting family fishing camps in South Florida that will appeal to the entire family, as well as a three-day scholarship camp for Oakridge Elementary, part of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers of Broward County, serving Title 1 Schools in our local community. With the support of the Fleming Family Foundation and The Captain George Hommell, Jr. Education Fund established by Johnny Morris in honor of IGFA Hall of Famer George Hommell, we can provide opportunities like this for youth in south Florida and beyond who may never have the opportunity to get out on the water and catch a fish for the first time without the support of a scholarship to attend these programs.
Speaking of beyond South Florida, the busy summer season will extend into August with another week of camp in The Bahamas. But this time, we will be traveling to the island of Grand Cay to work with local youth in collaboration with Friends of the Environment. For the past two years, we have worked with the Cooper’s Town community of North Abaco with spin and fly fishing, and we are excited to bring this camp to kids on Grand Cay!
Lastly, we’ll finish the summer season in New Jersey, U.S., with another three weeks of Reel Into Fishing camps in August, this time in Ocean, Burlington, and Atlantic Counties, in collaboration with their respective Cooperative Extensions of Rutgers University. This is where Reel Into Fishing camps started more than 10 years ago with Rutgers and IGFA Representatives. It has been great to see the evolution of these advanced fishing programs into a three-day structure that builds on the young anglers’ skills and knowledge. The support they receive from the William J. Healey Foundation and Viking Yachts, as well as Dennis Levitt, in honor of his father, IGFA Trustee Emeritus Michael Levitt, helps keep these camps going and growing.
