Minnesota high school students get fish curriculum that goes beyond angling 101 – Outdoor News
High school teacher Dan Kreft has brought a course to Hinckley-Finlayson High School that should be the envy of students all across Minnesota: angling.
When Kreft read about a school on Minnesota’s Iron Range that had an angling class, he loved the idea. So, he proposed it as a semester-long class, and it’s now been running for a couple years.
“We cover a wide range of things – everything from studying the different Minnesota (fish) species to different fishing techniques to learning about conservation and invasive species, how to tie different knots with monofilament and braid and fluorocarbon, and so on.”
Naturally, students’ incoming angling experience varies, which can be a challenge to accommodate. On the other hand, more experienced students have opportunities to teach their peers and develop leadership skills.
Guest speakers, including DNR Fisheries biologists, bring a depth of expertise that offers something for everyone. Minnesota angling guide and personality Tony Roach has also visited the class.
“(Roach) has been kind enough to come in every semester. He’ll come in and teach the kids (and) pass on some of his knowledge that he has about fishing the local lakes,” Kreft said. “So, it’s been a good adventure for kids that have grown up fishing and do a lot of it, to those who are just beginners. I think we’ve been able to adapt so all those kids get to learn.”
Field trips have taken place mostly on local waters, during both open-water and ice seasons. The class has also visited the local DNR fish-rearing facility. A couple of times, Kreft has been able to get them onto a fishing launch on Lake Mille Lacs.
As far as the course catalog goes, Angling I is listed as a “physical ed elective” class. Kreft said that’s because there is a push in state education standards for “lifetime activities” – things students can learn to stay active outside their entire lives. And that’s not all.
“We’re actually getting some science standards when we start talking about the different species of fish and invasive species. We talk about the thermocline, and how temperature affects the density of water. And migrations of different fish throughout the year. So we’re hitting a lot of science standards, too,” he said.
“On top of that, I’ve partnered up a couple of times with our family and consumer science teacher to talk about the proper way of cooking and handling fish we’ve caught.”
The class has understandably been popular – so much so that Kreft has begun to offer a second semester. He got the idea after a taking a community ed rod-building class in nearby Mora with some friends. Angling II is centered on building a custom rod. Kreft plans to get the students out to use their rods before the end of the year, as well as tying jigs, if time permits.
Still in its first semester, Angling II is proving every bit as popular as Angling I.
“The kids are really excited to come to class,” Kreft said. “In fact, they don’t even wait until the bell rings to begin class; they just grab their rods and get building as soon as they enter the classroom.”
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Senior Tanner Risley, who said he does “a lot of fishing” throughout the year, took Angling I. As an experienced angler, he taught the class – and his teacher – some things about fishing for catfish and sturgeon. But that’s not to say he already knew everything.
“It’s been a good learning experience,” Risley said. “I may have been fishing a lot, but there’s definitely a lot more aspects that have been pretty new to me, which have helped me out quite a bit whenever we go out on these field trips, or even by myself.”
Now in Angling II, Risley said he’s learned much about rods and rod building. Having sped through much of the process, he found the decorative butt wrap to be more challenging.
“It’s definitely the hardest part of making a rod, because there’s so much that could be messed up. And if you don’t get it right, you might have to start over with it,” he said.
Having established two successful angling courses, Kreft said he doesn’t have any more big plans in the works. He said he’s instead focused on evolving Angling II. Meeting material and logistical needs will also keep him busy.
Kreft said that a No Child Left Inside grant from the DNR went a long way toward establishing Angling I.
“The grant really helped because, as you can imagine, there’s a lot of equipment. Some kids have their own fishing equipment, and some don’t have anything. So outfitting the entire class, not just for open-water fishing but for ice fishing as well, it takes a pretty good chunk of money,” he said. “We were able to purchase a lot of brand new rods and reels, and some Vexilars, and jigs and line, and other terminal equipment you might need.”
After a local newspaper ran a story about his class, people reached out to donate equipment. Otter offered a buy-one, get-two-free deal on ice shelters. The Lions Club has also been generous. A former student works at Zinpro, in North Branch, which donated several hundred dollars for the class to get on the launch at Mille Lacs. Fisher’s Resort offered a discounted rate for that launch. The list of supporters goes on and on.
“It’s been really cool to see the support that we’re getting from big companies like Otter, all the way down to local residents that just want to help out and get involved,” Kreft said.
That kind of community involvement has buoyed the success of Angling I and Angling II, and will no doubt ensure continued success of the program. Anticipating what success will require, Kreft cited rod-building supplies and replace-as-you-go things such as line, weights, and hooks. He also mentioned the constant challenge of finding funds to provide buses for field trips.
“Money for trips is an ongoing need, and then volunteers,” he said. “We’re always looking for volunteers to kinda come and help supervise kids when we get out on those fishing trips, and also to pass on their knowledge and expertise they might have.”
Heilman is a Minnesota writer and outdoorsman who could have benefited from an angling class in high school. Read what he’s been up to lately at neveragoosechase.com.
