Ages 10–15 • Full-Day • All Gear Included

Mission Statement:

We use paddling sports to boost confidence, encourage a connection between the public and nature, and offer guests a way to benefit their mental and physical health. All programming is designed for participant success.

Vision Statement

By introducing opportunities for people to learn new skills, we hope to encourage the personal development of our guests through nature. We educate through programming designed to encourage safety, personal confidence, fun, and encourage exploration of outdoor activities. We strongly believe that people who are active and outside are generally happy. Through exposure to outdoor recreation, we believe we can help people to manage the stress and anxiety of life. Our guiding principle/philosophy is: “If you are comfortable in nature, you’ll be of a comfortable nature no matter where you are or what is going on”.

All of our programming includes all paddling equipment, safety equipment, and fishing tackle.  

Campers will be provided high-quality rods and reels that are theirs to keep on the first day of camp (retail value of about $200). Campers will be given freshwater tackle starter kits and kayak fishing milk crates that are theirs to keep. All campers will be given a Ten-Punch Pass for use at our rental operation for the season ($165 value).  Included equipment and Ten-punch pass retails in the neighborhood of $500.  We want to provide kids with experience and equipment they can take with them! 

1. Active Wear - T-shirt or Long-sleeve sun shirt (synthetic athletic fabric with UV rating preferred), Shorts or Swim Trunks, Proper Shoes (closed-toe sandals, old tennis shoes) – No flip-flops or Crocs, please. 

2. Hat, wide-brimmed preferred, to protect head, face, neck and ears from the sun

3. Sunglasses (optional, encouraged). Glasses offer protection from hooks and sun.

4. Sunscreen applied prior to arrival at camp for the day.

Plan on getting wet EVERY DAY! 

What to Bring

PLEASE LEAVE PERSONAL FISHING RODS AND TACKLE AT HOME, WE WILL PROVIDE EVERYTHING YOUR CAMPER NEEDS. 

1. Lunch and an extra snack! Staff will have coolers available on their boats.

2. Backpack or bag that can hold everything they bring to camp.

3. Water bottle. We will have plenty of water available to campers all day. Electrolyte packets and/or sports drinks will also be available for campers to use. 

4. Swim clothes & River shoes (closed-toe sandals, old tennis shoes - must stay on their feet!) (Flip-flops and Crocs are not a good idea) 

5. Towel and a change of clothes. 

7. Weather appropriate gear (ex, rain jacket) Penguin Paddling will provide all fishing gear for each daily activity. While we will always have sunscreen available with staff, application of sunscreen before the camper arrives at camp is encouraged. SPF30 or above is preferred as we will be in the sun most of the day. 

8. Hand Sanitizer. We will have hand sanitizer available at meal times and during breaks. We encourage each camper to bring their own hand sanitizer to camp with them so they may clean their hands as needed between breaks.

*We will fish rain or shine as long as it is safe. Please send your camper prepared for the weather* NOTICE: Please leave phones, IPads, and other electronics at home. In addition to encouraging low-tech recreation and connection to nature, we do not want them to lose their electronics. We are not responsible for lost/damaged electronics.  

 We fish rain or shine, within reason and as long as it is safe to do so.  Fish do not worry about getting wet!  Thunder and lightning will move us off of the water and into indoor activities like fishing trivia, knot tying, landing net building, bait catching and lure-making.  If needed, there are some well-protected, covered, outdoor areas where we can safely work on casting skills by playing competitive games.  While we want folks on the water for the entire week, we are at the mercy of mother nature.  We will never make decisions that prioritize money over safety.  

1. Our priority, always, is participant safety. We reserve the right to make sure our program participants are safe. We will start, and end, everything we do with consideration of safety.  In the event of an emergency, we will call 911 immediately and parents as soon as it is safe to do so.  We don't care about anything more than the safety of participants!

2. We reserve the right to excuse participants from our activities if behavior becomes unsafe or difficult to control. We are here to work with our guests and campers to make sure they have fun. We will act as coaches and mentor campers as we are able to. If we encounter difficulties with a participant, we will work with them, and their parents if needed, to get them on board with the program. It is never our goal to be jerks!

3. We plan on returning your children tired at the end of every day. We want them to have so much fun on the water that they basically eat, shower and go to bed at the end of the day. We do not want to run them ragged. We want them to feel physically challenged while stopping short of the “cliff’s edge of tired and grumpy”.

4. We do this because we love fishing, paddling, and the great outdoors. We will do what we can to share that passion with our campers. We will work to make them feel successful and get the positive feedback brought by success in a new area of skill.

5. Positivity rules the day! Our business is run by two men who dedicated their professional lives to service in the military or a local fire department. While we are well-acquainted with stressful situations and decision-making under stress, we consciously chose paddling and fishing as our “retirement career” for the lack of stress. We made it through high-risk, stressful, careers by understanding the impact that a positive outlook can have as you navigate through difficulties. Basically, our main goal (after safety is taken care of) is to have fun and share the joy we derive from being on the water with the next generation. We want each day to be a fun learning experience for our campers. If we can give our guests another tool to see life through a positive lens, we consider our program a success.

6. We request that parents be reasonably available in the event of an emergency or urgent situation. We humbly request that you be within 30 minutes to an hour of our docks while your child is attending our program.

1. All staff interacting with campers will be background checked.
2. Camp leaders are experienced in conducting paddling outings and have worked for us for multiple seasons before being considered for group leadership roles.
3. Camp Staff will have CPR/First-Aid Training
4. Camp Staff will have appropriate water rescue training.
5. Group leaders within the program are trained and trusted employees who understand that their first, and most important, duty is to make sure your kids are safe.  We have employed them for multiple seasons and have mentored them to make responsible decisions.  All of our employees are empowered to immediately address safety issues.
6.  We have a strict policy that our personnel will NEVER, EVER, be allowed in a 1:1 scenario with campers. While we may have kids in groups with different counselors, counselors will NEVER, under any circumstance, be in a position where they are alone with a child. If a child requires something in privacy, there will be a minimum of two counselors/staff with them to address the issue. This is an extremely important policy to ensure your kids are never put into a position that is unsafe. Staff understand this policy and know they will be dismissed on the spot for violating this policy.  We don't play when it comes to keeping kids safe.

While this is the design of the program, we may adjust a bit for weather or particular traits of the group attending. (For instance, if all of our campers already know how to fish we may spend less time on the education portion and more fishing time)

Day 1

8-9: General outdoor and environmental safety brief. Explanation and fitting of safety equipment (PFDs). We start with safety because that is the most important part of any outdoor activity. If one approaches new activities by thinking about safety first, they will typically be able to safely navigate new experiences. The basic principle to be taught throughout the week is that considering and accounting for safety will make almost any outdoor activity accessible to them.

9:15-11:15

1 Hour stand up paddle board (SUP) orientation. 1 Hour kayak orientation. We will introduce basic principles of navigation and description of their location in an emergency scenario.

11:15-12:15

LUNCH, Fishing knots and basic tackle familiarization.

12:30-2

Fishing knots and basic tackle familiarization. Fishing rod casting and control. Casting practice will include challenges to hit a floating bucket with their casts. Think of it as a game of “HORSE” for fishing. Campers will be taught a couple of different ways to rig their baits for bass fishing.

2-3:30

Supervised, yet still independent, fishing! First-time fishing folks may use a bobber and worm to introduce them to the basics of fishing with assistance from staff as needed. Under supervision our campers will explore the area around Occoquan, on the water, while fishing. 

3:30-4

Clean up and get dried out.

DAY 2

8:00-10:00

Free Fishing! on Kayaks or Paddle Board

10:00-11:30

Water safety training, water rescue awareness training, introduction to first aid

11:30-12:30

Lunch and Fishing knowledge review.

12:30-3:30

Fishing on Kayaks or SUP with supervision and coaching

3:30-4 Clean up, dry off, time for questions and answers

Day 3

8-10am

Paddle out towards Belmont Bay and fish

10:30-11:30

First Aid Training. Basic hook removal and bleeding control.

11:30-12:30

Lunch and introduction to “Top-Water” fishing

12:30-3:30

Fish and paddle back from Belmont Bay.

3:30-4:00

Clean up and get dried out.

Day 4

8:00-10:00 

First Aid Training. Training on telling  911 where you are and what you need.

10:30-3:30

Safely monitored, independent fishing! Counselors will be available and supervising campers as they fish the area. 

Day 5- Bring a Parent to Fish Day

8:00-9:00

Campers will teach mom or dad the basics of paddling and demonstrate the fishing skills they have learned.

9:15-3:30

Fish the rest of the day with a stop for lunch somewhere.

1. Knowledge of how to fish, how to paddle, and basic first aid.
2. Training in basic first-aid (focused on our target activities).
3. Plenty of photos taken throughout the week by staff.
4. An awesome memory of spending the day fishing with mom or dad on the final day of camp.
5. A high-quality St. Croix fishing rod with Sevin reel ($200+ value)
6. A basic freshwater tackle kit to get them started on the sport (Approximately $50 value).
7. A Kayak Milk Crate (milk crate modified for fishing)
8. A Ten-Punch Pass to Penguin Paddling for the season ($165 retail value.  Terms/conditions apply)

If cancellation occurs 60 days or more before camp starts, we will issue a refund for the full amount.  

If cancellation occurs 30-60 days before camp, we will refund 75% of camp fees.  We do this because of the lead time required for us to order inventory, and this covers the cost of the equipment purchased for your camper.  You will receive the fishing rod and reel, with line.  We will work with you to coordinate rod/reel pick up at our store.

If cancellation occurs within 30 days of camp, we will not issue refund unless the camper is physically injured. We require a doctor's note to process a refund.  

Weather cancellation policy:

We plan to fish rain or shine, within the bounds of safety and reason.  If there is lightning or thunder, we will shift our programming indoors for the duration of the bad weather.  Usually, storms pass rather quickly and we can flex our program to work around foul weather. We will issue refunds, at our discretion and using "reasonable man theory", if the situation requires it.  We will not issue complete refunds in the event of an unusual situation, as the participant will still get the provided gear and ten-punch pass with the purchase, we will return a maximum of 75% of camp fees.  Any refunds will be pro-rated, by the day and accounting for the equipment cost.  While this is completely at our discretion, we like happy customers who do not hate us.  We strive to do the right thing by folks!