You are invited to compete in our Fish Iowa! Games State Cast Off!

 

When: Saturday, July 20, 2013

Where: Forker Building, ISU, Ames, IA

Time:
9:30am—Registration and open practice time
10:00am to Noon—Competition and awards ceremony

Register Electronically Today: Deadline  July 8, 2013

First place medalists from a Fish Iowa!  Games school casting competition (held in schools across the State last spring) must register in the Medal Class. Second and third place medalists, non-Medalists and students who did not participate in a Fish Iowa! Games school casting competition must register in the Open Class.

All age groups will cast at the same time but will be scored in separate age divisions: Age 8 & younger, Age 9-11, and Age 12 & older/

All participants are asked to stay until the end of the competition. An awards ceremony will immediately follow the competition. All participants will be recognized during the awards ceremony!

Participants are encourage to stay for the Athlete Jamboree and Opening Ceremony beginning at 5:00 p.m. 

Questions: Contact the IDNR Aquatic Education Program;   641-747-2200

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Fish Iowa! Games Cast Off Competition Rules

Competition Casts

Flip (10 feet from target)

• Underhand, pendulum‐type cast
• Reel engaged prior to casting (no additional line comes off reel; don’t use thumb stop)
• Start with rod tip up and lower to swing lure (use the tip of the rod, not the handle)
• Line length prior to cast – about the length of the rod (5’ 6” rod)

Pitch (20 feet from target)

• Underhand, pendulum‐type cast
• Reel disengaged (weight of the lure pulls more line off the reel as you cast, use thumb stop)
• Press thumb stop in prior to cast
• Start with rod tip up and lower to swing lure (use the tip of the rod, not the handle)
• Line length prior to cast – at least 2 feet (2‐3 feet seems to work best)

Overhand Cast (30 feet from target)

• Overhand
• Reel disengaged (more line comes off with the cast, use thumb stop)
• Press thumb stop in prior to cast
• Start with rod tip straight out in front, raise over the shoulder and release the thumb stop as the rod movesforward
• Line length prior to cast – cast plug within 1 foot of rod tip

Scoring

• Score is determined by where the plug first strikes.
• The higher of the two scores for each flip, pitch, and overhand cast is added together to determine the contestant’s overall score.
• If a participant steps over the line during the cast, it is considered a scratch and the score is “0.”
• A maximum of 150 points is possible.

Castoff

In the event of a tie for first, second, or third place, participants with tie scores complete each cast once and the medalist is determined by the higher total score for the three casts. If participants are tied after the cast‐off, each receives a medal.

Equipment Specifications

Participants must use the equipment provided.
Reel: Medium action spincasting reel
Rod: 5’ 6” medium action composite spincast rod
Casting Plug: ¼ oz.

 

IOWA KICKOFF FOR THE SCHOLASTIC PISTOL PROGRAM

The Dragoon Chapter (Ankeny) Izaak Walton League and Iowa DNR Shooting Sports are sponsoring a kickoff seminar for the Scholastic Pistol Program (SPP) on August 11th from  10:00AM to 4:00PM at the Dragoon Chapter Ikes located near Ankeny, IA.  All prospective program coaches and shooting range representatives from Iowa are encouraged to attend.  National SPP staff will be on hand to discuss the program with prospective coaches/range sponsors in the morning and attendees will then visit the ranges and have an opportunity to see and shoot the SPP stages in the afternoon.

If interested in attending, please RSVP to Ben Berka at Ben.Berka@dnr.iowa.gov by July 19^th.  Additional information will be sent to those who RSVP.

The Scholastic Pistol Program (SPP) provides the opportunity for young adults to participate in the exciting and challenging family sport of “speed shooting” in a supportive environment taught by trained and supportive adult coaches focusing on the safe handling and use of handguns.

The basic competitive unit of SPP is a four-person squad; each squad shoots four (4) stages. In SPP competition, your time is your score. Total score for all stages will determine each competitor’s match score. The combined scores of the four shooters become the squad’s match score. 

SPP is supported, in part, by founding partners GLOCK, Smith & Wesson and Action Target. Additional partners include Atlanta Arms & Ammunition, PACT Timers, Pro Ears, Tactical Solutions and Winchester Ammunition among others.

The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) is responsible for all aspects of the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and Scholastic Pistol Program (SPP) across the United States, including participant registration, coaches, state coordinators, state and national championships, promotion, communications, websites, public relations and growth strategies The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation exists to raise funding and other resources for Youth Development Programs in the shooting sports industry.

SCTP and SPP are youth development programs, originally developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), where adult coaches and volunteers model sportsmanship, responsibility, honesty, ethics, integrity, and teamwork while using shooting sports programs to teach these and other positive life skills to the athletes.

To learn more about SCTP or SPP call (419) 794-9924 or visit their website at www.shootsctp.org. 

 

The Great American Backyard Campout is June 22^nd

This weekend connect with nature and your kids by participating in the National Wildlife Federation sponsored Great American Backyard Campout!

Backyard camping is the perfect way to introduce children to camping: it is familiar yet different enough to be exciting, you remain close to home if mishaps should arise, you are creating memories that will last a lifetime, supplies and a change of clothes are close at hand, and it is a great way to connect with your backyard and each other!

Are you an educator who wants to participate in the Great American Backyard Campout with your students? Did you know you can create a team and register through the NWF? (Families can register too!) Can’t actually go camping? How about faux camping on the school grounds during the day? Set up tents, explore the school grounds (or your backyard), cook outdoors, tell stories and have FUN!

Camping & Nature Exploration Books

Arnosky, J. 1997. Bird Watcher. Random House Children's Books.
Arnosky, J. 1997. Bug Hunter. Random House Children's Books.
Boring, M. 1999. Fun with Nature. T&N Children's Publishing.
Boring, M. and L. Evert. 2001. More Fun with Nature. Northword Press.
Bosselaar, L., and E. Hiestand. 2000. Urban Nature: Poems About Wildlife in the City. Milkweed Editions.
Capogna, V.V. 1999. Did You Ever Wonder about Things You Find in Your Backyard? Marshall Cavendish Inc.
Carlson, L.M. and J. Dammel. 1995. Kids Camp!: Activities for the Backyard or Wilderness. Chicago Review Press, Incorporated.
Ching, J. 2000. Camping: Have Fun, Be Smart. Rosen Publishing Group, Incorporated.
Drake, J. and A. Love. 1998. Kids Campfire Book. Kids Can Press, Limited.
Eckart, E. 2003. I Can Go Camping. Children's Press.
Leopold, A. 1989. A Sand County Almanac. Oxford University Press.
Leslie, C. 2003. Keeping a Nature Journal. Storey Publishing.
Love, D. 1997. Backyard Camp-out Book. HarperCollins Publishers.
Muir, J. 1997. John Muir: Nature Writings. Penguin Group.
Paolilli, P. and D. Brewer. 2001. Silver Seeds: A Book of Nature Poems. Viking.
Ruurs, M. 2004. When We Go Camping. Tundra.
Ryder, J., and D. Nolan. 1990. Under Your Feet. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
Thoreau, H. 2004. Walden. Houghton Mifflin Books.
White, K.L. 2006. Cooking in a Can. Gibbs Smith.
Winner, C. 2006. Kids Gone Campin': The Young Camper's Guide to Having More Fun Outdoors. Creative Publishing International, Incorporated.
Yolen, J. and J. Stemple. Color Me a Rhyme: Nature Poems for Young People. Boyds Mills Press.

Camping Links

NWF: Great American Backyard Campout
http://www.nwf.org/great-american-backyard-campout.aspx

IDNR: Camping Tips and Recipes

http://www.iowadnr.gov/Recreation/CampingFacilityRentals/CampingTipsRecipes.aspx

NWF: Camping Tips, Recipes, Songs and More

http://www.nwf.org/Great-American-Backyard-Campout/Get-Ready.aspx

IDNR Pinterest (Camping recipes and more!)

http://pinterest.com/iowadnr/

 

 

New Fish Iowa! Games Regional Casting Competitions Held During Iowa’s Free Fishing Weekend

The first ever Fish Iowa! Games Regional Casting Competitions were held June 7 and June 9 during Iowa’s Free Fishing Weekend. The June 7 competition was held at the Storm Lake Marina and Hatchery Complex in Storm Lake, IA. The June 9 competition was held at F.W. Kent Park in Oxford, IA.

Participants competed in one of two classes, Open or Medalist. The Medalist Class was for students who had placed as a medalist in a Fish Iowa! Games casting competition at their school. The Open Class was for students who had not competed in a Fish Iowa! Games school casting competition or who participated but did not place first in their class. The Fish Iowa! Games rules and regulations applied for the regional competitions.

The Iowa Games and Iowa Department of Natural Resources sponsor Fish Iowa! Games casting competitions through Iowa schools. Students learn to cast from three distances using the flipping, pitching, and overhand techniques.  The program is unique in that it allows participants to learn the basic casting techniques then demonstrate them as part of a fun competition.

The Storm Lake regional Fish Iowa! Games winners are as follows:

Medalist Class

Gabe Kline – 1^st Place

Simon Carlson – 2^nd Place

Open Class

Chase Hurd – 1^st Place

Anna Lauritsen – 2^nd Place

Sydney Hurd – 3^rd Place (Tie)

Brandon Todd – 3^rd Place (Tie)

The Kent Park regional Fish Iowa! Games winners are as follows:

Open Class

Tim Globokar – 1^st Place

Trevor Leedom – 2^nd Place

Jordyn Bogaards – 3^rd Place

Aaron Horning – 4^th Place

The first place contestant in both the Open and Medalist Class are eligible to compete at the State Fish Iowa! Games State Casting Competition Medalist Class during the summer Iowa Games on July 20 in Ames.  The Open Class will be open to all participants. On-line registration is open until July 8.  Register at: Iowa Games (www.iowagames.org) > Sports > Summer Games > Fish Iowa Games Finals.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources would like to thank the Johnson County Conservation Board and the Buena Vista County Conservation Board for their partnership during the Regional Fish Iowa! Games Casting Competitions and Family Fishing Events.

Top photo:

Kent Park Regional Casting Contest (from left to right)

Aaron Horning – 4^th place open class

Jordyn Bogaards – 3^rd place open class

Trevor Leedom – 2^nd place open class

Tim Olobokar – 1^st place open class

Bottom photo:

Storm Lake Regional Casting Contest (from left to right)

Chase Hurd – 1^st place open class

Simon Carlson – 2^nd place medalist class

Sydney Hurd – 3^rd place open class (tie)

Anna Lauritsen – 2^nd place open class

Brandon Todd – 3^rd place open class (tie)

Gabe Kline – 1^st place medalist class

Free fishing weekend!!

Iowans May Fish Free June 7-9

Iowa residents may fish without a license on June 7, 8 and 9 as part of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources free fishing weekend.

Free fishing weekend is the first weekend in June each year.  It allows Iowans an opportunity to try fishing without purchasing a license.  All other regulations remain in place.

“We are experiencing some of excellent fishing across the state right now at Twelve Mile Lake, Green Valley Lake, Clear Lake, Meadow Lake, and our trout streams and our fisheries at Prairie Rose Lake, Badger Creek Lake, Lake Pahoja and Lizard Lake are being improved to provide better fishing in the future,” said Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa DNR’s Fisheries Bureau.

“We hope that someone who gives fishing a try during free fishing weekend will enjoy the experience and want to go fishing more often and become a license holder,” Larscheid said. 

Free fishing weekend is scheduled during what is traditionally the time when bluegills are close to shore and aggressive.

“This is a great time to take kids fishing because the chance for success is pretty good,” he said.

The best way to catch bluegills, according to Larscheid, is to use small tackle – little hooks, a bobber no larger than a quarter, 4-pound test line and small bait. 

The DNR is creating fishing videos teaching inexperienced anglers how to be more successful at catching fish. Two videos are currently online – crappie fishing and bluegill fishing – and others species and techniques will be added through the summer and fall.

Anyone catching their first fish is encouraged to take a photo of it and send it in to receive the DNR’s first fish award. The DNR will commemorate the event with a certificate suitable for framing and the submitted photo.

Information on the first fish program is available in the Iowa Fishing Regulations and online at http://www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/MasterAnglerFirstFish.aspx

Qualifying fish caught during free fishing weekend are also eligible for master angler recognition.  For bluegills, the minimum length for master angler award is 10 inches.

Media Contact: Joe Larscheid, Chief of Fisheries, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515-281-5208.

Check out the IDNR Event Calendar for family fishing events taking place during free fishing weekend!!

Please share with your students and families that we have extended the registration deadline for the Storm Lake Hatchery Regional Fish Iowa! Games Cast Off until June 6. Walk in registrations are welcome.

Storm Lake Hatchery Regional Fish Iowa! Games Cast Off

When: Friday, June 7, 2013

Where: Storm Lake Marina and Hatchery Complex, Storm Lake, IA

Time: 4:00pm to 6:00pm—Registration, competition, and awards ceremony

6:00pm to 8:00pm—FREE Fishing Weekend Family Fishing Event

Register Electronically Today: Deadline June 6, 2013

Medalists from a Fish Iowa!  Games school casting competition must register in the Medal Class. Non-Medalists and students who did not participate in a Fish Iowa!  Games school casting competition must register in the Open Class.

Age Divisions: Age 8 & younger, Age 9-11, and Age 12 & older
 

All participants will be recognized during the awards ceremony!

Stay for the FUN-FILLED family activities and fishing during the Free Fishing Weekend Family Event after the competition!!

Questions: Contact the IDNR Aquatic Education Program; 641-747-2200