Fishing Games DNR

W i s c o n s i n A n g l e r R 3

Angler Education

From Wisconsin Waters to Your Plate

WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES • PUBLICATION NUMBER LEF-016-2020 • DNR.WI.GOV

Fishing Games

A N G L E R R 3 – G O T K I D S ?

Games and activities to help you set the hook on young anglers.

Welcome | Teach | Inspire

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources • FISHING GAMES - ANGLER R3

Fishing Games Angler R3–Got Kids?

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources provides equal opportunity in its employment, programs, services, and functions under an Affirmative Action Plan. If youhave any questions, please write to Chief, Public Civil Rights, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C. Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20240. Thispublication is available in alternative format (large print, Braille, etc.) upon request. If you need technical assistance or more information, please call the AccessibilityCoordinator at 608-267-7490 / TTY Access via relay – 711.

WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES • PUBLICATION NUMBER LEF-016-2020 • DNR.WI.GOV Printed on RecycledPaper

Adventures and MemoriesEnjoy Wisconsin’s Wild Side

Angler Education

Author: Theresa Stabo, Angler R3 Coordinator, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

All photos by Theresa Stabo unless otherwise noted.

Lorraine Ortner-Blake, Graphic Designer

For questions or suggestions related to the Angler R3 program, please contact:Angler R3 Coordinator | 608-577-6332 | [email protected]

For questions about publication orders, contact our support office:608-333-2057 or [email protected]

Please use an order form to request materials; contact us if you need a new one. You may email your order form to us or use our fax number, 608-266-3696, or mail it to:

Angler R3, LE/8 | Department of Natural Resources | P.O. Box 7921 | Madison, WI 53707-7921

Repurposed

This collection of games serves as a supplement to the Fishing for Dinner Instructor’s Guide and Fishing for Dinner - Got Kids? JuniorAngler and are drawn from the original Angler Education Instructor Manual that provided the inspiration for Fishing for Dinner. JuniorAngler and Hook, Line & Thinker are also part of the Angler R3 Program.

Financial support for these programs is provided by the federal Sport Fish Restoration Fund. This fund is generated by an excise tax onfishing gear, boating equipment and boat motor fuel, and is then apportioned out to states for use in sport fish habitat restorationprojects, boating access projects, and aquatic resources education programs, such as the Angler Recruitment, Retention andReactivation (R3) programs: Fishing for Dinner and Angler Education.

Thank you for your participation in Angler R3 programs. As always, if you have recommendations for the programs, please let usknow.

Theresa Stabo, Angler R3 Coordinator, Angler R3 Program Office

1Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources • FISHING GAMES - ANGLER R3

Table of Contents

Fishing Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Bait & Lure Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

F-I-S-H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Plug Golf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Casting Score Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Concentration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Fishing Olympics Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Bass and Shiners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Habitat + Food = Bluegills . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

FISHO! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

IMPORTANT

FISHING DATES

Opening Day Always the first Saturday in May

Summer Free Fishing Weekend Always the first full weekend in June

Winter Free Fishing Weekend Always the third full weekend

in January

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources • FISHING FOR DINNER Got Kids?2

Fishing Games

Games to Teach and Reinforce Skills Use games to teach and reinforce skills and concepts. Casting targets, knot-tying kits and otherresources are available at many tackle loaner sites. Check the DNR’s website, DNR.WI.GOV, andsearch for “Tackle Loaner Program” for a statewide listing of loaner sites.

Props to gather or make

Fish flash cards

Make your own flash cards from WisconsinFishing, DNR Publication number FH-500 oronline sources. Distribute images for fishidentification games. Add scenariosabout the catch for participantsto determine if they cankeep it or not.

Each game has its own list of materials togather. Here are a few specialty items you willhave to round up.

Backyard BassTM and casting plugs

Tape fish images to the backs of the targets andadd scenarios about the catch to the target likethe example below.

Knot tying kit

Make your own kit. Use 1/4" x 30" cord.

3Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources • FISHING FOR DINNER Got Kids?

FISHING GAMES

Bait & Lure Game Objective:

To learn basic baits and their purposes.

Ideal number:

Any number.

Materials:

One 3x5 card for each participant with apicture of a bait or lure pasted on and labeled.Tape.

Procedure:

Make flashcards of baits and lures from thepictures found in fishing catalogs or online. The“Tackling Tackle” lesson plan and supportingappendix in Hook, Line & Thinker! offerillustrations of tackle. (Illustrations are alsoincluded on the next page, ready to print andmake flash cards.) Tape one card to the back ofeach participant. Several people may have thesame bait or lure.

1. Each person is to figure out which bait or lure

is taped to his or her back. Participants may askas many questions as they want, but questionsare limited to yes, no, or maybe questions.Encourage them to ask different peoplequestions. Each participant should find out:

1) what bait or lure they’ve been labeled.

2) which fish would be attracted to that lureor bait.

3) the names of all fellow participants.

2. When participants figure out which bait orlure they’ve been labeled they raise theirhands, but don’t look at their cards until thenext step. They should keep participating in thegame until everyone thinks they know theirbaits or lures.

3. Give each participant a chance to declare whatthey think they have on their backs and whatfish that bait or lure might catch. Then havethem look to see if they are correct.

Baits and lures:

plastic crayfish frog worm minnow grasshopper doughball spinner plug (crankbait) jigg plastic worm kernel corn leech

Bait: liveminnows,worms, dough balls,andgrasshoppers

Spoon

Crankbait/Plug

Spinner

Jigs

Plastic tails

Pork rind

Marabou

Popper

Flies: dry fly (left) and wet fly (right)

5

FISHING GAMES


F-I-S-H F-I-S-H is played like H-O-R-S-E in basketball.Two to four students can play using one target.The first player casts from a chosen locationusing a particular cast (overhand, sidearm, etc.).If the caster hits the target, the next playermust replicate the cast from the same spot orreceive a letter in the word “fish.” Each of theplayers repeats the cast until someone missesand receives a letter.

The player after the missed cast gets to decidethe location and style of the next cast that isagain repeated by the others until someonemisses. If nobody misses the cast, the playerwho started gets to select a new cast. The lastperson to spell “fish” wins.

Plug Golf This game is very similar to golf, but spincastingrigs and casting plugs are used in place of clubsand balls. A plug golf course is complete withtee markers, greens and hazards. You also needa course captain.

Participants “cast off” from a tee marker andthe course captain marks the spot where theplug landed. Instead of reeling the plug back tothemselves, they walk toward the plug as theyreel. They cast again from this point and headfor the “green” where the golf cup is replacedby a dishpan or similar object. Participants castuntil they hit the target.

Each cast counts as a point; low score wins.Courses can be either nine or eighteen “holes”and participants can compete as individuals,partners, or teams.

Score sheets are on the following page. If youteach a golf unit, you’re ahead of the game.Just modify what you already have.

Plug Golf Score Card

Scorer_________________ Attested____________________________ Date_____/_____/_______

Hole Number #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 Total

Distance(feet) 180 100 250 50 60 105 180 80 70

Par 2 2 3 1 1 2 2 1 1




Distance (feet) 180 100 250 50 60 105 180 80 70

Par 2 2 3 1 1 2 2 1 1




Distance (feet) 180 100 250 50 60 105 180 80 70

Par 2 2 3 1 1 2 2 1 1


Plug Golf


FISHING GAMES

Casting Score Card To be used with Backyard Bass TM or other casting targets

Name Score

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10

Casting Score Card To be used with Backyard Bass TM or other casting targets

Name Score

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10

Casting Score Card

ConcentrationPlace Backyard Bass (or other targets withpictures of fish taped to them) on the grass orgymnasium floor. You'll need recorded musicand a device to play it for this game. Withmusic playing, participants cast out to hittarget. When they hit one, they set down theirrod and reel, run to the target they hit, look atit, then run back and continue the process untilthe music stops. When the music stops, theinstructor calls out the name of a fish species.The player who has seen that species,remembers where it is and runs the fastest toclaim it, wins that round. Finer points, such as ifdragging the plug across the target whilereeling in counts as a hit, are up to you.

Fishing Olympics EventsA great culmination to a school-based fishingunit or end-of-year fishing club picnic.

Objective:

Demonstrate knowledge and skills gained infishing program.

Ideal number:

Divide the group into an even number ofteams. Three to five on a team would be ideal,but other numbers are workable. Encourageparents to form teams and have some fun.

Materials: Score sheets

Clipboards

Pencils

Whistle or cowbell to mark the start of thegames

Stopwatch Specific equipment listed for eachOlympic Event

Event descriptions for judges Procedure: Assignone scorekeeper and at least two judges tomonitor each event. Copy, cut and distributedescriptions of events to judges. Have teamsrotate through each event.

Determine the amount of time you want theteams to spend at each event. Allow time forpassing between events. After all teams havecompleted each event, tally up the team scoresand announce the winners, starting withrousing congratulations for goodsportsmanship to the last place team (assuming

of course that they were good sports).Remember that in relays, when there areuneven teams, the smaller team will have toselect a member to go twice to even things up.

1. Can Casting

Cans

Line

Casting plugs

Targets

Have cans, line and plugs ready. Make targetsout of cardboard or five-gallon buckets, or useBackyard Bass. Set up targets. Give each team aset number of minutes to see how many timesthey can hit the target.

2. Knot Tying Relay Race

Braided nylon cord, each piece ~30", fused at cut ends (parachute cord works well)

Shower curtain rings or other substitute for large “hook”

Knot diagrams

Whistle or duck call

Knot Judges (several)

Decide which knot all contestants will tie. Placeknot-tying supplies at stations a distance awayfrom where teams will be lined up. Thereshould be the same number of stations as thereare teams. Each team member must run to thestation, tie a knot, have it verified by a knotjudge, untie it, run back to tag the hand of thenext in line, then go to the end of the line.Blow a whistle or duck call to indicate when tostart.

3. Synchronized Casting

Fishing poles

Casting plugs

Music makers

Kazoos

Harmonicas

Music and device to play it

Give each team member a fishing pole andchoice of music. Each team has 5-10 minutes toprepare a synchronized casting routine.Routines will be judged on music, creativity,coordination and casting skill. Is this subjective?You bet.

8 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources • FISHING GAMES - ANGLER R3


FISHING GAMES

4. String the Pole Relay

Rods

Reels

Casting Plugs

Targets

Line Clippers

Place an unstrung fishing pole, reel, castingplug and line clipper for each team a distanceaway. Also place a target some distance beyondthe gear. Each team member must run to thegear, assemble the rod and reel, string the linethrough the pole, tie on a plug and cast towardthe target until they hit it.

Then they reel in, disassemble everything andrun back to their team. Remind contestants tobe careful in disassembling so that the linedoesn’t get lost up in the reel and foil theirteammates. Repeat until everyone has had aturn. Remember to pick up all cut line.

5. Angler Jeopardy

Bells or whistles for teams to sound

Questions and Answers

Two or three teams will play at a time.Contestants display their fishing knowledge,Jeopardy-style.

A designated game show host reads statementsor phrases and contestants respond by asking aquestion. Jeopardy fans will remember that the“question” is really the “answer.”

There are four categories; write them on ablackboard or display board. Ask firstcontestant to pick a category and present themwith the first answer.

When a contestant comes up with theappropriate question he or she rings a bell,blows a whistle, or raises his or her hand.

Categories, questions, answers and pointvalues are listed below.

You should always wearthis when fishing from aboat or near deep water.What is a life jacket?or personal flotationdevice (PFD)?

At what age must youpurchase a fishinglicense if you want tofish in Wisconsin? 16years of age.

When left lying aroundtangles fish and otherwildlife and gives anglersa bad name. What isdiscarded fishing line?

These four items willprotect you from heatand sun. What aresunglasses, hat,sunscreen anddrinking water?

These five things areneeded by all animals.What is food, water,shelter and space in asuitable arrangement?

These animals live underrocks … and havepinchers. What arecrayfish?

This animal sproutswings when it changesfrom a nymph stage toadult. What is a (yourchoice)? (hold uppicture)

These areas are valuablefish spawning and floodretention sites. Whatare wetlands?

Most animals have thesein their mouths, butsome fish also havethem on their skin.What are taste buds?

This is Wisconsin’s statefish. What is themuskellunge?

Counting growth ringson fish scales. How doyou tell the age of afish?

This sensory organ helpsa fish detect vibrations inthe water. What is thelateral line?

This weighs down theline and bait. What is asinker?

Picture of knot they havelearned. What is a________ knot?

This reel is used bypushing and releasing abutton. What is aspincast reel?

Wet your hands. Whatdo you do whenpracticing catch andrelease?

5

10

15

20

Safety and Ethics Habitat Fish Characteristics Angling SkillsPOINTS


Bass and Shiners This is an adaptation of the pool favorite,“Sharks and Minnows.” In this case, it’s arunning game played on a field.

Adapted from “Sharks and Minnows” by AdamJ. Hamilton, J.D. Adam J. Hamilton is the Deanof Applied Sciences at St. John Vianney HighSchool in St. Louis, Missouri. For the originalversion of this game, please visithttp://adamhamilton.weebly.com/blog/sharks-andminnows-for-science.

Materials: Flag football flags for the shiners

300 poker chips

Colored bibs or shirts for the bass

Cones for the boundaries of your

ecosystem.

Procedure:

This activity helps students realize that theyknow more about a common ecologicalrelationship (predator-prey) that cycles energythrough our world. As a twist this year, I don’tsell this as a “science game.” Most kids recallthe rules of the game, commonly played underthe name “Sharks and Minnows”, so set up isvery easy. Have your class count off in 4s or 5sso that each group can easily cycle through theroles of predator and prey.

Round 1

Jump into the game immediately after set upwith only one rule: bass must catch 1 shiner toremain “alive” in the game. If a bass doesn’t;he is removed from the ecosystem. The kidslove the freedom to run around! As the

number of shiners decrease, the number ofpredators eventually decreases. Explain that thisis because it is harder for them to meet theirenergy needs. After a few repetitions, stop thegame and ask a few loaded questions:

What do we call an animal that eats anotheranimal? Predator!

What do we call the animal that is gettingeaten? Prey!

What happens to the number of prey initially?They Decrease!

What eventually happens to the number ofpredators when the prey decreases? TheyDecrease!

Why? Not Enough Food!

What are some of the strategies that shinersused to survive? Speed! Traveling In Groups!Hiding Behind Other Shiners

What are some of the strategies used by bassto survive? Working Together! Speed!Searching For Slowest Shiner!

Discuss how real predators and prey use thesesame behaviors in real life. Mention that maybethis isn’t the most accurate simulation for theshiners, who merely have to run from place toplace. Ask what is missing. The students willrealize that if predators need food, so must theprey. Introduce the poker chips.

Round 2

At the start of round 2, spread approximately100 poker chips over the playing surface. Thesepoker chips represent the food needed by theprey to stay alive. Each shiner must grab apoker chip and avoid being “eaten” to remainalive. Play multiple repetitions.

While students notice that the same predator-prey relationship exists, they notice that theprocess of acquiring food makes the shiners aneasier target for opportunistic predators.Discuss the idea of conserving resources as thestudents notice that a few greedy shiners canremove enough energy to effect thepopulation. Run through a few repetitions ofthis before changing the scenario slightly.

Awards Ceremony

Prepare awards beforehand. In addition to gold,sliver and bronze medal winners, have blueribbon honorable mention categories for goodsportsmanship, creativity, perseverance, etc.Make sure everyone walks away a winner or isrecognized, if the majority of participants arereceiving awards. The Olympics would workwell with a picnic.


FISHING GAMES

Round 3

In the third round, reinforce the idea thatorganisms need more than energy to survive byassigning each of the colors of poker chips to aspecific role: shiners must pick up one of eachcolor in order to survive. This change creates aHUGE competitive advantage for the bass.

Rounds 4 - 6

Play 4 to 6 rounds of bass and shinersdepending on time constraints. Each time, alterthe scenario slightly. Other modifications toconsider include:

1.Concentrating the food in one location;

2.Creating “safe zones” for the prey;

3.Requiring the bass to pick up chips in additionto eating a shiner; and

4.Raising the number of shiners that each bassneeds to eat to survive.

Habitat + Food = BluegillsBy, Jeff Janvrin

Objectives:

Students will be able to identify

limiting factors in the life cycle of a bluegill.

Methods:

Students represent fish and limiting factors in a

simulation of a bluegill’s life cycle.

Background:

Bluegills are found in every county of the state.Life begins as one of 6,000 to 18,000 eggs in asmall, shallow crater on a sand or gravel bar.The male makes this “nest” by fanning awaybottom material with violent swishes of itsbody. He will fiercely guard the eggs until theyoung fish hatch and can swim on their own.

Hatching takes only two to five days undernormal weather conditions. However,unseasonably cold water temperatures maystop spawning activity entirely.

Once hatched, the tiny “fry” are only 2-3 mmlong. Only the earliest and fastest swimmersescape being eaten by other fish, includingother bluegills. Lakes and rivers with abundantrooted vegetation provide hiding places forthese tiny fish. When homeowners removevegetation to create swimming areas the smallbluegills become easy prey.

Rapid growth in the first year keeps these smallfish constantly looking for food. Firstzooplankton then, tiny crustaceans make upthe first links in the bluegill’s food chain. By theend of their first year the bluegill is almost twoinches long.

The bluegill itself is an important link in thefood chain of other fish species and the loss ofa bluegill “year class” could result in lowernumbers of northern pike, largemouth bass, orperch to name a few.

As the bluegill grows, its main dietchanges to small crayfish, aquatic insectsand small fish. Bluegills cruise from coverto cover searching for food, preferredwater temperatures and adequateoxygen, exposing them to additionalpredation from herons and otters.

In the spring, bluegills are found alongpermanent cover such as rocks, logs andpiers. By summer these fish have movedinto recently emerged weedbeds.Sometimes low water conditions mayisolate bluegills from the main body ofwater. In the heat of summer, oxygenlevels may drop drastically in these areasand fish will suffocate and die, a conditionknown as summerkill. In winter, bluegillsseek habitats with good oxygen,abundant food and little current. By theend of their second year, most bluegillsare about 3.25 inches long.

The fish that make it through their firsttwo summers may face problems inwinter. Excessive snow and thick icereduce the amount of sunlightpenetrating shallow water areas.Photosynthesis (which produces oxygen)stops and the plants die. As oxygen levels


drop, decomposition of bottom materialcontinues, further reducing dissolvedoxygen levels. If levels drop enough mostof the fish will suffocate, a conditionknown as winterkill.

Those bluegills that reach three years ofage will spawn, probably for the first time.At four years of age most bluegills will be5.5 inches long too large to be eaten bymost other predator fish, but largeenough for predation by humans.

In waters where spawning habitat islimited, large concentrations of spawningbluegills may occur in a few areas.Because bluegills attending nests are easyto catch, excessive harvest by anglers canoccur. This not only removes the adultsfrom the population, but it also leaves thenow unprotected nest open to predation.Egg mortality can be 100 percent.

The adult bluegill constantly faces deaththroughout the rest of its life. Of theoriginal 18,000 eggs, less than one-half of1 percent will die of old age. In someyears, no eggs will survive past the firstyear from an individual nest. Fortunatelyfor the bluegill enough spawners survivefrom year-to-year to maintain apopulation. Other fish species are not solucky. That is however, a different fishstory....

Materials: Large playing field, or gym

Rope, cones or carpet squares to mark offvegetative cover (“hiding cover”) for bluegills

8 different “tokens” i.e. colored or labeled piecesof paper (Different colored bio-degradableitems could also be used. For example beans orpasta.)

Envelope, bag or container to hold tokens onefor each student.

Procedures:

This activity will be repeated twice. The firsttime, students will simulate bluegill fry andobtain food and habitat items necessary forsurvival to become an adult. The second timethey will represent adult bluegills seeking outfood and habitat requirements needed tosurvive and reproduce.

Preparation of the playing field (Figure 1).Preparation is the same for the fry and adultsimulation: Layout playing field boundaries torepresent the shoreline of a waterbody. Markareas of cover (safe zones) for fry or adultbluegills. In nature not all habitat is the samesize so the size of the cover should vary.Recommended cover sizes for a class of 25 areone each of the following diameters: 14, 12, 10and 6 feet. (Add one additional 8-foot diametercover for every 5 children if your class size isgreater than 25.)

Scatter the tokens throughout the playing field.The majority of the tokens should be inside thecover. Make sure to place some tokens outsideof the cover since some food would beavailable in these areas of the lake.

Start of the fry simulation:

Assign 4 children to be predators and the restto be fry. All of the bluegill fry hatch from asingle “nest” in one the of cover zones. Fry canmove anywhere within the boundaries of the“lake” as they forage for food and seek outhabitat needs. While cover is a safe area, if fryare too close to the edge, predators can tag(eat) them. (In nature, many predators willcruise the edge of vegetation looking for preythat has ventured too close to the edge.)

The predators (largemouth bass, northern pike,perch and bullhead) should be scattered aroundthe rest of the playing area. They cannot enterthe cover, but they can tag fry if they can reachthem. They can also tag fry as fry move fromone zone of vegetation or cover to another.When a predator tags fry, the fry must givetheir tokens to the predator and move to themortality zone. The simulation continues untilall tokens have been picked up, or all frytagged.

Once all tokens have been picked up, have thestudents add up the number of each kind oftoken they have collected. Survival of frydepends on water temperatures being warmenough for eggs to develop and hatch; gettingenough food, oxygen and habitat; and living inareas where water quality is good. As fry,bluegills are more susceptible to extremes inwater temperature, pollution and pH.Therefore, the quantities of the different tokensthey have will determine if they survived. If theydo not meet the criteria below, they must move


FISHING GAMES

to the mortality zone. Note: Predators do nothave to add up their totals.

Food: > 18 tokens to survive. Students musthave at least 18 food tokens to SURVIVE (all ofthe items identified as food in Table 1 addedtogether). Studies have found that bluegillsneed to consume approximately 35% of theirweight in a week to survive. Therefore, if eachfood token equal 2% of their body weight,then they need 18 tokens.

Dissolved Oxygen: > 5 tokens to survive. Thestate standard for dissolved oxygen is 5 partsper million (ppm). Each dissolved oxygen tokenrepresents 1 part per million. If they have lessthan 5, then sometime during their life as a frythey were in an area where dissolved oxygenwas not adequate for their survival.

Water Temperature: > 3 tokens to survive.Fish eggs need certain temperature conditionsto develop and hatch. Bluegill fry are moresensitive to temperature changes than adults.Water Pollution: < 2 tokens to survive. Bluegilleggs and fry are more susceptible to waterpollution than adults. Acid rain; animal wasterunoff; and fertilizer runoff from yards, fieldsand golf courses are some of the sources ofpollution affecting fish. Plants: > 2 tokens tosurvive. Plants and other cover are essential forfry to survive their first year of life.

Tell students that each of them represented somany fry out of a nest of 10,000. (For example,if 20 students simulated fry, then each of themrepresented 500 fry.) Determine the percentageof the fry population that survived to becomeadults. Multiply this percentage by 10,000, thiswill be the number used to determine thenumber of adults entering the population inRound 2 of this activity.

Start of the adult simulation:

Redistribute the tokens throughout the playingfield. Assign 4 children to be predators and therest to be adult bluegills. All of the adultbluegills will begin in a single school of fish inthe largest vegetative cover zone. Once again,the adults can move anywhere within theboundaries of the “lake” as they forage forfood and seek out habitat needs. Predatorscannot enter the vegetative cover (safe area),however, if adults get too close to the edge ofthe cover, the predators can tag (eat) them.

The predators (largemouth bass, northern pike,great blue heron and flathead catfish) shouldbe scattered around the rest of the playingarea. They can tag the adults as the bluegillsmove from one zone of vegetation to another.Adult bluegills must give their tokens to thepredator and move to the mortality zone whenthey are tagged. The simulation continues untilall tokens have been picked up, or all bluegillsare tagged.

Once all tokens have been picked up, have thestudents add up the number of each kind oftoken they have collected. Survival of adultbluegills depends on many of the same factorsas when they were a fry: getting enough food,oxygen and habitat; and living in areas wherewater quality is good. The quantities of thedifferent tokens they have will determine if theysurvived. If they do not meet the criteria below,they must move to the mortality zone. Note:Predators do not have to add up their totals.

Food: > 18 tokens to survive. Students musthave at least 18 food tokens to SURVIVE (all ofthe items identified as food in Table 1 addedtogether). Studies have found that bluegillsneed to consume approximately 35% of theirweight in a week to survive. Therefore, if eachfood token equals 2% of their body weight,then they need 18 tokens.

Dissolved Oxygen: > 5 tokens to survive. Thestate standard for dissolved oxygen is 5 partsper million (ppm). Each dissolved oxygen tokenrepresents 1 part per million. If they have lessthan 5, then sometime during their life as anadult, they were in an area that dissolvedoxygen was not adequate for their survival.

“Baited Hooks”: 0 tokens to survive. Humansare one of the predators of adult bluegills.Fishing for bluegills involves tricking the adultbluegill into thinking that the bait on the hookis something good to eat. Students with morethan one hook token were released by the firstangler who caught them, only to be caughtand kept by another.

Water Pollution: < 4 tokens to survive. Adultbluegills are more tolerant of water pollutionthan fry. However, water quality does affect thesurvival of adults. Acid rain; animal wasterunoff; and fertilizer runoff from yards, fieldsand golf courses are some of the sources ofpollution affecting fish.

Spawning Habitat: > 1 token to survive: Adultbluegills must find suitable spawning habitat tosuccessfully reproduce. Otherwise thepopulation of bluegills in the waterbody maydecline. Several factors can affect theavailability of spawning habitat: shorelinedevelopment, floods or droughts,sedimentation, etc.

Using the number of adults entering into thepopulation at the end of the fry simulation,now calculate how many adult bluegills eachstudent represents. Determine what percentageof the adults surviving to reproduce. Divide thenumber of surviving adult bluegills by 10,000 todetermine what percentage of eggs successfullyhatch, grow and reproduce.

Assessment:1.Have students list and describe different

habitat needs for fry and adults. How are theirhabitat needs similar? How do they differ?

2.Have students complete the concept maps inFigure 2.

3.Have students make an inter-connected chainillustrating the habitat needs they identified inthe concept map. Or, have them create abluegill habitat mobile with a wire coat hangerand pictures that they draw of bluegill fry oradults and the different habitat components(food, water shelter and space).

Extensions:

• Repeat the activity with one of thefollowing modifications: Add or removevegetative cover.

• Remove the angler tokens.

• Enlarge some or all of the vegetative coverareas.

Jeff Janvrin is a WDNR fisheries biologist on theMississippi River. He enjoys conducting teachertraining workshops to share his knowledge andlove of the river.

14 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources • FISHING GAMES - ANGLER R3

FISHING GAMES

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources • FISHING GAMES - ANGLER R3 15

Camped by a Lake

Tied aFishing Knot

Tied Your Own Fly

Watched aMayflyHatch

Watched aLong-

legged BirdStalk Fish

FISHO!Rules: Introduce yourself to another person in the room. Ask one question of that person as youintroduce yourself. If the answer is yes, write his or her name in the box. Move to another personand repeat the process until you have FISHO!

F I S H OMade Fish Bait atHome

Made a Pop Can

Fishing Rig

FREE FISHING

DAY

BeenCaught in a

Lie (FishStory)

Put a Reelon a Rod

by Yourself

Found aStoneflyUnder a

Rock

Canoed in aLake or

Pond NearHome

Fished theWaters inYour Town

Been Stuckwith a Fish

Hook

WitnessedSalmon

Spawning

Visited aTackle Shop

Cleaned aFish

Picked upLitter Alongthe Water

ContactedOfficials

About FishHabitat

CookedYour Catch

WentFishing with

a FamilyMember

Slammed aFishing Rodin the Car

Door

Hunted forNight-

crawlers

Discoveredan Osprey

Nest

Been StuckBy a

Bullhead

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WisconsinAngler R3 P R O G R A M S

Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3)strategies are designed to grow the community of

anglers and hunters who will take a stake in ournatural resources. Critical to success is

engaging current anglers and hunters asinstructors and mentors to pass on theirskills to newcomers.

• Attend an Angler R3 instructor training

workshop for Fishing for Dinner or Angler Education.

• Hone your fishing skills by signing up for Fishingfor Dinner classes or attending clinics.

Learn | Teach | I nspire

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources provides equal opportunity in its employment, programs, services, and functions under an Affirmative Action Plan. If you have any questions,please write to Chief, Public Civil Rights, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C. Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20240. This publication is available in alternative format(large print, Braille, etc.) upon request. If you need technical assistance or more information, please call the Accessibility Coordinator at 608-267-7490 / TTY Access via relay – 711.

WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES • PUBLICATION NUMBER LEF-017-2020 • DNR.WI.GOV Printed on RecycledPaper

IMPORTANT FISHING DATES

Opening Day Always the first Saturday in May

Summer Free Fishing Weekend Always the first full weekend in June

Winter Free Fishing Weekend Always the third full weekend

in January

Questions? Contact us in the Angler R3 Office: 608-577-6332

[email protected]: 608-333-2057, Fax: 608-266-3696

Find out more. Visit us at dnr.wi.govand search for Fishing for Dinner and Angler Education to learn about upcoming classes, clinics, and workshops.

Sign up for email notifications announcing upcoming opportunities.

Adventures and MemoriesEnjoy Wisconsin’s Wild Side

Fishing Games DNR

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