Sunday, November 9, 2025
Children across Long Island can enjoy the riches of fishing Reynolds Channel through Youth Fishing Programs — a hands-on experience with all the equipment included.
Magnolia Pier Bait and Tackle and Pioneer Sports will offer the two-hour session. Children in grades 2 through 8 will have the opportunity to learn from experienced fishers on Oct. 18., from 9 to 11 a.m. Each session costs $90, for both it is $175. The first session was on Oct. 4.
The program will take place at Magnolia Pier, at 198 West Bay Drive, on Reynolds Channel, a major migration route for most of the species that frequent the barrier island waters. This includes fish such as bass, fluke, black seabass, and blowfish.
Justin Kula, a Long Beach resident and founder of Magnolia Pier Bait and Tackle, started the business from empty parking spots littered with garbage. When asked about the impact his business has on the community, he called the opportunity a “community-like atmosphere.”
“All the kids I’ve taught back in the day are now helping out,” Kula said of the camaraderie of fishing. “You learn [and then] help others.”
Kula was approached by Pioneer Sports’ Tom Falcone after meeting through a mutual business relationship — a meeting which Kula was pleased with because of the common goal they share: providing young children with a valuable outdoor experience.
“They wanted to provide a fishing outlet for inland Long Islanders, and felt we were a perfect fit,” Kula said.
Pioneer Sports is an organization that works with children to deliver engaging and fun activities. Serving over 20,000 children, they’ve supported over 100 after-school activities, sports clinics and camps across Long Island.
When Pioneer Sports contacted Kula about a potential partnership, his response was a simple “as long as there are fish.”
Falcone, who helped co-found Pioneer Sports 15 years ago, said that one of the many motivations for organizing children’s activities is to “get kids away from the video games, and get them outdoors.”
Falcone also added that he believes Covid had a damaging effect on children — being more isolated with regular interactions with friends, regressing their social skills — an impact that he hopes to rectify.
“We want kids to just be kids,” he said.
Mike Brothers has been frequenting the Magnolia Pier for the last three decades shares that sentiment. A Queens-turned-Long Beach resident, he also shares in the value of getting the children outdoors–something that is lost to people who live in cities and suburbs away from the waters.
“Besides learning how to fish safely, [children can] learn about the fish and the water,” Brothers said in regards to the outdoor experience. “Justin [Kula] is a good guy, great family. He’s doing a great job.”
To register for the fishing program, go to Pioneersports.leagueapps.com.
