In fact, in the eyes of Guttenberg's youngsters, fishing is as foreign as stickball is to kids in Idaho.
But when a group of Anna L. Klein school students were treated to a fishing trip last September, thanks to the generous members of the Hudson River Fisherman's Association, with Guttenberg resident Leonard Litof leading the way, it meant that there would be other trips in the future.
Last week, Litof and his association treated 36 eighth graders and four adult chaperones to a day of fishing on a chartered boat off Staten Island.
The Hudson River Fisherman's Association sponsors trips throughout the year for elementary and high school students, to give kids who would usually never get a chance to go fishing the opportunity to learn about it.
The Hudson River Fisherman's Association, of which Guttenberg resident Litof has been a member for many years, has sponsored a Youth Explorer Young Angler program since 1999, where they bring children on fishing charters and give them the proper instructions on how to fish.
Since the program's inception six years ago, more than 2,000 grade school students in the New York metropolitan area have been treated to a day on the high seas free of charge.
Since Litof is a Guttenberg resident, he wanted to introduce the kids of his own town to the Youth Explorer Young Angler program.
"We coordinated it with the school and the town to do the same thing as we did last year," said Litof, who has resided in Guttenberg for the last two decades. "The kids loved it. They were really into it."
Mayor David Delle Donna and the town council supplied the transportation for the youngsters to and from the chartered boat, while council candidates Frank Criscione and Donna Florio provided the food for the children, which was prepared all day by Litof at the grill.
The trip began in Great Kills Harbor in Staten Island. The students went out on a 110-foot fishing vessel, with members of the Hudson River Fisherman's Association donating their time to help teach the children the proper ways of catching fish.
Glen Blank and John Pontacorvo are the two members of the Hudson River Fisherman's Association that coordinate the Young Anglers' Explorer program. They were happy to teach the children the proper techniques of fishing, including the gruesome baiting process.
"That was pretty disgusting," said Klein School eighth grader David Torres. "I didn't like that part at all."
But for Torres, who experienced his first fishing trip, it was a day to remember.
"I had never gone fishing before, so I wanted to see what it was like," Torres said. "It was pretty cool. Even though I didn't catch anything, I still had a lot of fun. I am pretty new to this school (having moved from West New York). I have only been here for four months, so this was a good way for me to meet new people and I was getting the chance to go out on a boat at the same time."
Amanda Robles is a fellow eighth grader, but she was practically an "old salt" - that's a fishing term for being experienced - as a fisherwoman.
"I used to go fishing every weekend with my family, so I knew what I was doing," Robles said. "I don't get the chance to go as much as I used to, so I was really excited about this trip. I tried to help the others as much as possible. It was really nice. I got to spend time with my friends."
The newcomers got the - pardon the pun - hook of baiting after a while and started to reel in fish of all varieties, like porgies, weak fish, blue sea robins and bluefish.
Robles first caught a fluke, then capped the day by catching a bluefish.
"I never caught a bluefish before, so I was really excited," Robles said.
Almost all of the children caught at least one fish.
Each child had his/her own fishing pole and after given instructions how to properly use the pole, they were pretty much left on their own, until a fish was hooked. Then, with the assistance of the volunteers, they were able to bring their catches aboard.
However, in order to keep the fish, they had to be longer than 16 inches. If they weren't that long, then Littoral Society rules state that they must go back into the Atlantic Ocean. Each fish was tagged with an identification that said the fish was indeed caught by someone from Klein School, then sent back to freedom.
Chris Ricciardi, the administrative assistant for Superintendent/Principal Robert Tholen, went on the trip as a chaperone for the second straight year. Ricciardi's boyfriend, Rich Biagiotti, is a member of the Hudson River Fisherman's Association.
"I went last year and absolutely loved it," Ricciardi said. "Fishing is such a good time for all. It keeps me young. Richie is the one who got me hooked, so to speak. The organization was wonderful with the kids. It was a wonderful experience. Most of these kids never had a chance to go fishing before. But once they get started, you can see that they are very determined to catch one. When they did catch that first fish, they held it up with pride."
Ricciardi said that she had a funny moment during the trip.
"There was a girl on one end of the boat who thought she had a big fish and I thought I had one at the same time," Ricciardi said. "We were tugging and tugging, until we realized that we had hooked lines with each other."
Sounds like something out of a "Three Stooges" sketch.
Litof was happy to offer the opportunity to the youngsters.
"Most of these kids didn't know a thing about fishing," Litof said. "The exciting part of the day was the weather. In the middle of the trip, we ran into a few rain squalls with a little hail. The kids went inside the cabin until the storm passed. I loved it. I try to do it as often as I can. It's good to be able to offer it to the kids of Guttenberg."
Teachers Frank Romano, Colleen Amador and Donna Gryzbowski also accompanied the children on the trip, along with Board of Education member Sari Zuckerman.
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