No losers in kids vs. fish
Source: Denver Post (Original Article)
FORT COLLINS — Danille Moyer’s blue eyes widened as she described the fish she caught and the single-minded way the fish approached the “pretend worm” that was the lure.
“That big guy just went swimming after that worm. I’m really proud of him,” said Danille, 6, one of a dozen kids who learned a little more about fish and their environment Sunday from Colorado State University’s chapter of the American Fisheries Society.
Eight members of the society, a wildlife biology organization, taught the kids to cast a line and some of the finer points of fishing.
All of the kids attend the Fort Collins unit of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
None of the more than two dozen fish hauled in at the lake wound up in a pan because the kids returned them to the lake.
CSU students frequently provide activities for the kids, said Pam Rud, the club director.
The CSU chapter is part of a professional society for fisheries scientists whose goal is to promote the conservation, development and wise use of fisheries.
The fishing trip with the Boys and Girls Club is an annual event, said Lucas Young, who heads CSU’s chapter of the society.
It wasn’t hard to get kids to participate in the event at a tiny lake at the Lakeside KOA campground, Rud said. “I just said, ‘The first 10 kids with a permission slip get to go,’ and I had ‘em like that,” she said, snapping her fingers.
The CSU students used a seine — a large net that hangs vertically in the water with weights along the bottom edge and floats along the top. They dragged the net through the shallow water and pulled a handful of fish out to show the kids what the population below the water’s surface looked like.
“They told me what some of the fish were and how to use a seine net. It was really cool,” said Austin Goheen, 10, who, like Danille, attends Putnam Elementary School.
Austin had fished a few times before going with the CSU students but hadn’t caught anything.
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