Written by Katie Ludwig
The Decorah Career Field Day was an event created by Mr. Connick and Mr. Young for students at Algona High School. Mr. Connick and Mr. Young combined two of their favorite interests, teaching and fishing. This trip was held on Wednesday, April 9th. Mr. Connick and Mr. Young traveled with six students from Algona to Decorah, Iowa, which is about two and a half hours east. Decorah’s terrain is very hilly, with many caves, sinkholes, springs, and cold water streams. It is very different from the flat plains and crop fields around Algona.
The purpose of this Decorah Career Field Day was to educate students about a career in the Iowa DNR, including biologists who work to raise fish across the state and conservation officers who work to protect our natural resources. The students also got the opportunity to visit the Decorah Fish Hatchery. A visit to the Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery can include seeing (and feeding) trout, enjoying Iowa's second-largest natural spring, fishing for trout, biking or walking on the Trout Run Trail, or catching a glimpse of the area's most famous residents, the Decorah eagles. This opportunity allowed students to take a closer look at a career in the Iowa DNR, biologists, and conservation officers and also learn about fish hatcheries.
For another portion of the day, Mr. Connick and Mr. Young took all of the students to North Bear and South Bear Creeks near Highlandville, Iowa. While there, they were allowed to go fly fishing. Fly fishing is most commonly used when fishing for trout; Decorah streams primarily have rainbow, brown, and brook trout. Fly fishing is a type of fishing where fishermen use artificial lures called "flies" that mimic real insects. The goal is to use flies to catch a fish by mimicking a real fly. Another difference in fly fishing, compared to regular fishing, is typically they wear wader pants. Waders are waterproof pants that come to waist or chest height and allow the students to stand in rivers and streams without getting wet as Dylan Riggert wears in the photo when he caught a trout.
While spending the afternoon fishing, the group also enjoyed sightseeing and cooking lunch over a campfire. Mr. Connick says, “We had a great trip! It was a really cool experience at the hatchery, perfect weather, awesome streamside lunch, and lots of fish in the most beautiful part of Iowa!” Mr. Young says, “We had great kids, a great fish hatchery tour, great weather, great food, and great fishing!” Overall, this was an amazing experience for Algona High School students.