At MassWildlife, we believe that the great outdoors should be a welcoming space for everyone and are continuously looking to build partnerships with our local communities to help support outdoor recreation opportunities. This includes providing opportunities to try out fishing by renting our beginner's fishing loaner kit at one of the participating libraries and utilizing our online fishing resources.
Hooks & Books
An example of what a library fishing loaner kit would include.
In 2025, MassWildlife piloted a fishing loaner program where fishing kits were provided to the Greenfield Public Library for people to check out through the peak fishing season at no cost. This program received a ton of positive feedback from both the library and participants.
Each loaner kit that MassWildlife provides includes:
- Up to 10 fishing kits (each kit includes a spin-caster rod and reel, small tackle box and an informational packet)
- Drop off and pick up of equipment
- Maintenance of the equipment including coming to the library to replace broken or tangled rods as needed
- Outreach about the loaner kits and fishing opportunities nearby
Current participating libraries
- Boston: multiple branches
- Brockton
- Fitchburg
- Framingham
- Gardner
- Greenfield
- Lee
- Leominster
- North Adams
- North Attleborough
- Plymouth
- Springfield: all branches
- Worcester
Looking to add a library to our program?
For a library to be part of this program, you would need to have a process to “check out” the loaner kits, have a contact person who lets us know when equipment needs to be repaired/replaced, and provide MassWildlife the number of borrowers over the course of the season.
We are at capacity for 2026! But if you are interested to join Hooks & Books in 2027, please fill out this form.