Take a kid fishing and help instill a lifelong love of the sport at one of more than 40 free kids’ fishing events held in celebration of National Fishing and Boating Week 2012.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, in cooperation with Neuse Sport Shop, Trout Unlimited, Bass Pro Shopsand the U.S. Forest Service, is supporting these fishing events, which are scheduled from late May through early June throughout the state.

Young anglers registered at any fishing event are eligible to enter a statewide drawing for prizes.  The grand prize is a lifetime sportsman license, which includes freshwater and saltwater fishing privileges, as well as hunting privileges, donated by Neuse Sport Shop, located in Kinston. The first prize is a lifetime freshwater fishing license, donated by the N.C. State Council of Trout Unlimited. Bass Pro Shops is donating 50 fishing-related prizes, such as tackle boxes, rod-and-reel combos and fishing line, while the Wildlife Commission is donating another 100 prizes — any of which would be a perfect addition to a young angler’s tackle box.

Local sponsors for many events will provide prizes and gifts to registered participants as well.

The Wildlife Commission will conduct the drawing for prizes at the end of June and will publish a list of winners on its website, www.ncwildlife.org, in early July.

To give kids a better chance of catching fish, the Wildlife Commission will stock fish at many of these sites before the events — from trout in the mountains to channel catfish and bluegill in Piedmont and coastal public waters.

More than 2,500 children are expected to participate in this year’s events, many of whom will be first-time anglers.

“These fishing events are great opportunities for new anglers to learn more about fishing because there will be volunteers on hand to teach them the basics and help them reel in fish,” said Bob Curry, chief of the Wildlife Commission’s Division of Inland Fisheries. “The more positive their initial fishing trip is, the more likely they will make fishing a lifelong hobby, which is one of the goals of National Fishing and Boating Week.”

For more information about National Fishing and Boating Week, visit the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation’s website, www.takemefishing.org. For more information on fishing in public, inland waters, visit www.ncwildlife.org/fishing.