S.K.I.F.F. stands for Soldiers' Kids Involved in Fishing Fun. S.K.I.F.F. fishing trips for kids are absolutely free of charge to the children of military personnel who are away from home on military duty including field time, NTC or JRTC rotations, military schooling, TDY assignments, deployment, and unaccompanied tours. Children of disabled veterans unable to take their own children fishing also qualify, as do children of Gold Star families.
S.K.I.F.F. trips are paid for by donations from the membership of the Austin Fly Fishers and by funds they raise for this worthy cause. The Austin Fly Fishers is a fly fishing club based in Austin, Texas.
HOW IT WORKS
1. Parents contact to check availability of a given date or dates at 254-368-7411.
2. Provide the names of up to 3 children, ages 5 to 16 who will attend the trip.
3. Either drop the kids off for their excursion and enjoy a little time to yourself, or stay and enjoy the trip with them.
4. Send appropriate drinks, snacks, clothing and sun protection for a 3.5 hour outing.
5. Receive the kids back at dockside, listen to their fish tales, and peek at their digital photos.
6. You will receive photos, a blog entry, a Facebook link, and a Twitter link by e-mail within 3 days.
7. Any child catching his/her first fish and/or a Junior Angler record fish will be awarded a Texas Parks and Wildlife Certificate (takes about 2 weeks for processing).
Business Review
"First of all I want to thank you for running such a professional service on top of that one that is kid friendly. It is very hard these days to find any service that people go above and beyond what is expected. Your willingness to work with kids and help educate them on the sport of fishing is exceptional. This requires a patient teacher and one that can quickly recognize how to connect with the kids in order to get them to listen and at the same time enjoy what they are doing. I would gladly recommend your service to anyone considering this type of trip. We hope to see you in the near future and try out your new boat.”
"Thanks again for another great trip. The kids had a great time as usual but we all learned something new and I have learned a great deal watching you work with both my kids. I am amazed at how you are able to operate the boat, watch the graphs, help 2 kids, and look for birds at the same time!!! I can see the right setup and equipment are part of the equation but you have a real talent for multi-tasking and making it seem easy."
"Bob, Thanks so much for everything -- your patience with my 20-questions emails before the trip; all your help, guidance, and encouragement during the trip; the photos and the blog-writeup afterward. You provided a simply amazing trip for our daughter. Jess loved every minute of it and is definitely hooked. She can't wait to go out again... if only there weren't this pesky thing called school! LOL! I am so glad to have found your service --you were perfect for her first excursion into what I think is going to be a very long-term pursuit. Holding the Line Guide Service definitely gets a thumbs-up from our family! Absolutely AWESOME!"
