In a mission to inspire and support newcomers to fishing and boating, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation's (rbff) Take Me Fishing and Vamos A Pescar campaigns together with South Bend are partnering to make it easier for people to get involved in the sport. Beginning immediately, co-­-branded refill kits from South Bend's Ready2Fish product line will be available in special displays in over 1,000 Walmart retail stores across the U.S. According to the 2014 Special Report on Fishing, nearly a third of participants in the sport said that having easier and more affordable access to fishing equipment would motivate them to get out on the water.

"We're excited to partner with South Bend to offer people everything they need for their first fishing experience," said Rbff President and CEO Frank Peterson. "Our mission is to get more people out on the water discovering the joys of fishing and boating, and we hope people will pick up a Ready2Fish kit, and see how fishing is easy by using the resources on our Take Me Fishing and Vamos a Pescar websites to get their fishing license, learn fishing basics like how to tie knots, find a great place to fish in their area, and learn how important their participation is to local conservation efforts."

South Bend created the Ready2Fish product line more than 20 years ago to help make fishing affordable, fun and easy for families and weekend anglers. In the new partnership, both South Bend and Rbff hope to reduce some of the barriers to fishing participation including a lack of knowledge about equipment and perceived costs.

"It's a lot easier to get started in fishing than most people think," said Tim Austen, South Bend Product Manager. "We made sure our Ready2Fish kits contain everything people need to start fishing-rod, reel, pre-spooled line, and a tackle box clipped right to the rod. People can literally pick up a kit and be ready to go. And since they start below $20, they are a great value too. If you combine the Ready2Fish kits with all information at people's fingertips on both the Take Me Fishing and Vamos a Pescar websites, there is literally no easier way to get involved in all the fun that fishing has to offer."

TakeMeFishing.org and VamosAPescar.org attracted 9.1 million visits last year, providing visitors with fishing and boating 'how-to' and 'where-to' information, state-by-state fishing license and boat registration resources, and much more.