Day 4 Collier County Fishing Camp

Today my class and I were back at North Collier Regional Park for some more lake fishing. Before we went outside, my colleague and I had the students take apart and reassemble their rod and reel so they could learn how to manage their own gear. They all did an excellent job at this! We then watched a video on the Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program and  discussed the impacts of discarded fishing line in aquatic environments. Each student made his/her own mini-fishing line recycling bin so they'd have a reminder and a place to store their own line.

When it was time to fish, the student were informed they'd be on their own for baiting hooks, retying knots, and dehooking fish since they have had the past three days to practice. Granted, at first they were hesitant to do this on their own, but they ended up doing a great job. I was extremely proud of them. Most of the students were completely self-sufficient while fishing, which is one of the major camp objectives. The kids caught blue gill, red eared sunfish, Mayan cichlids, and  even a few largemouth bass.

The class concluded the day by playing several rounds of Fish Bingo where they gained more practice identifying fish and learning about the state fishing regulations. Based on the amount of stuff we gave away, the students seemed quite happy. Enjoy the pictures!

Do you know how to put together a fishing pole? These guys do!

Dehooking one of many cichlids caught at the lake today

Perhaps the Boca Grip is a little bit of an overkill for this fish but its the experience that counts!

A view from the other side of the lake!

Fish Bingo!