Learning to Fish
The job duties of a North Dakota game warden vary from day to day. Many wardens have written about the variety of calls that we can respond to on any given day.
One of the duties that I have come to appreciate the most is assisting with youth fishing events. This spring I was asked to contact a Dickinson school teacher who wanted to take her elementary school class fishing for a field trip.
When I contacted her, I found that it would be several classes of students fishing at Dickinson Dike. After agreeing to help with this field trip my first call was to fisheries biologist Jeff Merchant. Thankfully, Jeff agreed to help me out without hesitation.
Later that week Jeff and his seasonal assistant Kyle Oxley were helping me take around 75 nine- and 10-year-olds fishing. It was a good thing there were several teachers to help as well. At first it was pure pandemonium, but as the kids spread out and got the hang of things it settled down a bit until someone would catch a fish, and then the screams and cheers let loose.
Throughout the short time that the groups were fishing I distributed bait and baited hooks. I also took many trout and bluegill off lines and showed the students how to return the fish to the water safely. I found myself a bit surprised how many of the kids had never fished before or never caught a fish.
The thrill in the eyes of youngsters catching their first fish is a sight that every person should see. It’s amazing how full of joy a child can be while catching a fish, even if the fish is a 4-inch bluegill or a recently stocked trout. I got to see a lot of faces light up that day.
When the teachers told the students that it was time to stop fishing there were a few sad faces and several last-minute casts making one last attempt to catch a fish. Then the poles were piled up, the bait cups were gathered, and the students went up to the park for a picnic.
Jeff and I started the tedious process of repairing poles and untangling lines while Kyle loaded poles into a truck. It was a very busy morning but there were no complaints.
As I pulled away from the lake, I thought to myself how fortunate I am to have a career that provides me with such simple satisfactions and experiences.
- Game Warden Zane Manhart