PONCA CITY, Okla. (Dec. 15, 2014) – The Future Fisherman Foundation (F3) announces a new program called SUPERFISH that is designed to bring a four-week fishing curriculum into junior high schools and their physical education classes.

SUPERFISH will get its start as a 10-school pilot project, thanks to the BoatU.S. Foundation who is providing initial grant funding to F3 to help schools offset the cost of participation. After the pilot phase, the program will be refined to a final format and then made available to all interested junior highs.

“We have been working on the pieces of this program for a long time, but we now have it ready to go,” said F3 Executive Director Mark Gintert. “We built a program that is aligned to National Standards for Physical Education and condensed it into a four week module for the classroom. Our intent is to teach the fundamentals of fishing, as well as aquatic education and environment stewardship, to our target group of 6th, 7th and 8th graders, and then create a system of multiple fishing opportunities for them.

“We realize that at the end of the class not every student is going to want to continue on with fishing, but for those who do we have a format that leads them into a school fishing club where they can get those additional opportunities that they may otherwise miss out on. The program works well whether fishing from the bank or boats, and for all venues and species of fish. We just want kids to get outside and to the water’s edge where they can learn a host of lessons that can’t be experienced in a gym,” Gintert explained.

Gintert further explained that key partners have helped F3 bring the school fishing program to fruition, such as the BoatU.S. Foundation, and also Zebco and The Bass Federation.

Once the pilot program is completed, SUPERFISH will be made available to schools in a format that will allow them to bring it in at a low and manageable cost instead of having to constantly seek grants for funding.

“We have a unique fundraising feature built into the program that eliminates about 85 percent of the fishing program’s cost if a school is willing to do a little work,” Gintert added. “We’ve made SUPERFISH an exciting program for the kids and something that’s easy for schools to take and run with.”

Junior high schools interested in being one of the 10 schools involved in the pilot or wanting more information on SUPERFISH can contact Mark Gintert HERE

About the Future Fisherman Foundation

Established in 1986, the Future Fisherman Foundation (F3) unites the sportfishing industry and a nationwide network of state outdoor educators, national conservation groups, youth organizations and other educators dedicated to introducing America’s youth to angling, conservation and the outdoors lifestyle. F3 operates under The Bass Federation (TBF) umbrella of companies and is the official education arm of TBF. F3 is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

Ebay Auction Items

PONCA CITY, Okla. (Nov. 13. 2014) – The Future Fisherman Foundation announces its annual online auction is scheduled for Dec. 1 – 8, and once again boasts an impressive lineup of outdoor products and guided fishing trips, fresh and saltwater, with the door still open for more to be added.

The important fundraiser for the non-profit organization is managed on eBay and helps support Future Fisherman’s “Ensuring the Future of Fishing” mission and its legendary programs like “Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs” and “Physh Ed.”

The auction opens at 8 a.m. CST, Dec. 1. Participation is easy, requiring only an online visit to

www.FutureFisherman.org, clicking on the “F3 Auctions” tab, and following the links to the eBay non-profit auction site for viewing and bidding on Future Fisherman’s list of items.

A top prize repeating from last year’s successful event is a lunch outing with Ranger Boats’ icons Forrest and Nina Wood in Flippin, Ark. Accompanying the lunch package is a half-day fishing trip on nearby Bull Shoals Lake, with the guide handpicked by the Ranger founder.

“The number and quality of fishing trips from all across the country on the auction list are amazing, with many being hosted by top professional anglers and fishing celebrities,” said Future Fisherman’s Mark Gintert. “The donated products are equally impressive, ranging from lure assortments to rod and reel outfits to foul weather gear to top-of-the-line electronics. With holiday season gift-buying top of mind for many right now, this is definitely a put-it-on-the-calendar activity.”

The Future Fisherman auction closes at 5 p.m. CST, Dec. 8. Gintert said the prizes are awarded in a timely manner after the auction’s end so that those who have purchased them as gifts will have them in time for Christmas.

Gintert also said the Foundation is still accepting donations for the auction too. Those interested in providing fishing trips, products and memorabilia can make contact HERE

All proceeds from the auction help the Future Fisherman Foundation’s efforts to engage youth in positive lifestyle programs such as fishing and getting them involved in the great outdoors.

Established in 1986, the Future Fisherman Foundation unites the sportfishing industry and a nationwide network of state outdoor educators, national conservation groups and youth organizations.

Although youth focused, the efforts help people of all ages have safe and enjoyable fishing experiences while also fostering conservation ethics.

The Future Fisherman Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

Future Fisherman Foundation partners with Writer Kristopher Rutherford on “Nothin’ but Net”

Ponca City, OK 7/07/14.  The Future Fisherman Foundation is pleased to announce that they have entered into a partnership with Kristopher Rutherford to promote the sale of his new youth fishing book                                                         Nothin’ but Net.       

“We are very excited to be partnering with Kris on the publication of this book which is a great fit to the lineup of other youth fishing books that we offer through the Future Fisherman Foundation” stated F3 Executive Director Mark Gintert.

“Nothin’ but Net”  tells a great story about a young man who is not your typical Jr. High School Athlete but who finds a great niche in the sport of fishing and he is eventually able to introduce his friends to the sport as well. It is exactly the kind of story that fits our Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs clientele as well as our SuperFish Program that is coming out this fall” added Gintert.

“I’m thrilled to be teaming up with F3 to publish and distribute Nothin’ but Net ,” said Kris Rutherford, who has also authored three other books. “The organization’s mission is exactly what I had in mind when developing the characters and plot—introducing fishing to youth as a sport they can participate in for a lifetime.”

Anyone interested in purchasing this great read for students of all ages can go to futurefisherman.org and click on the resources tab where you can order your copies of Nothin’ but Net.

For State Parks, Book Stores and other retails locations the Future Fisherman Foundation does have a retail program that will bring this great book to your shelves.

For more information on Kris Rutherford, visit his website at www.krisrutherford.com.