The Art and Science of Minnesota Angling
Thanks Ron for donating 60 books for Spartan Angling! This is a great book and will be used as class curriculum for many years to come! The book provides hands on tactics on many Minnesota species and several other angling tips!
Students spent an afternoon fishing at Luke Adam’s cabin! Memories were made and fish were caught and released!
Luke, I usually don’t read Greg Clusiau’s fishing report in the Scenic Range News mostly because I don’t fish but what caught my eye in the last issue was some students holding a huge fish. I could tell by the expression on their faces what fun they were having. I’m a 1973 graduate of Greenway High, move to Colorado 45 years ago and for some reason still get the Scenic Range News delivered to me. Once I saw that picture I had to read the article at which point I started to cry. Here was a teacher who took the time to load some students in a vehicle and drive them to Baudette MN which is far away even if you live close, on a cold spring day, to spend the night without internet/cell phone service and somehow told them they were going to have fun and they believed it. Right!!! But they did have fun. So much so that they will never forget that trip & will re-tell it a thousand times. When I was in, then junior high school, Cliff Wold was a teacher of mine. He operated a canoe outfitting service in Ely MN. I was selected as a student to work for Cliff to earn some money off a canoe trip to the Boundary Waters. I will never forget that trip or the others I took. There were around 14 of us & we fished, we cooked over an open fire, we swam, we portaged canoe’s across many islands but mostly we had fun!!! I want to say thank you for taking these students on a similar excursion. It isn’t often I read stories like this but I was so moved by your article I decided I had to help. This trip has to continue annually. Once these students go home and tell their fellow students what a great time they had students will be lining up to go. Please respond to this email & let me know who & to what organization I can contribute some monetary funds to. Thank you thank you thank you.
Tom Legueri
534 E.7th Ave. #107
Denver, CO 80203
Spartan Angling presented lure types and had a fishing station at the 5th Grade Itasca Waters Summit for area schools in Grand Rapids. Hundreds of students attended, and it was a great day for everyone!
Using knowledge of fish behavior and migratory patterns, students created lake hot spot maps showing potential locations for fish species. Students analyzed gill/trap net data and studied fish habitat for each species. Other features include landings, contours, or vegetation.
Students investigate gill net data from various lakes and draw conclusions on size structure, health of a lake, and fish species present to target for angling. Students also learned about survey methods such as gill and trap nets.
Marissa Morey
Favorite Species–Northern Pike/Bass
Big Catches– 27 inch pike
Favorite Brands– Rapala and Korda
Quote– I go fishing not to find myself, but to lose myself!
Jesse Adams
Favorite Species–Northern Pike, Walleye, Bass
Big Catches–Not yet
Favorite Brands–Rapala, Ugly Stik, and Berkley
Quote–Ice fishing does offer a maximum of exercise and labor for a minimum of pleasure and excitement!
Aden Manley-Springer
Favorite Species–Bass and Walleye
Big Catches–3 lb bass
Favorite Brands–Lews, Raplala, Spiderwire
Quote–A bad day can be made better by fishing time!
Hunter Svaleson
Favorite Species–Walleye
Big Catches–Not Yet
Favorite Brands–Berkley, Bio Bait, Northland Fishing Tackle
Quote–I only fish in days that end in “y”.
Noah Warmuth
Favorite Species–Northern Pike
Big Catches–32 inch northern pike
Favorite Brands–Rapala, Berkley, and Cabelas
Quote–I fish because I love the outdoors and scenery!
Jacob Niemi
Favorite Species–Catfish, Walleye, Rock Bass
Big Catches–15 inch bass
Favorite Brands–Zebco, Shakespeare, and VMC
Quote–I like fish!
Easton Thronson
Favorite Species–Walleye, Crappie, and Northern Pike
Big Catches–28 inch walleye
Favorite Brands–Fenwick, Lews, and Vexilar
Quote–I support catch and eat!
Nick Miskovich
Favorite Species–Walleye, Northern, and Muskie
Big Catches–54 inch muskie, 31 inch walleye
Favorite Brands–Vexilar, Alumacraft, and Lews
Quote–I’m sorry I wasn’t listening to the math problem, I was thinking of where I’m going to anchor down after school.
Connor Perryman
Favorite Species–Bass, Muskie, and Sturgeon
Big Catches–5 pound bass, 54 inch sturgeon, and 46 inch muskie
Favorite Brands–Lews, Strikeking, and 13
Quote–A man’s last cast is like a woman’s 5 minutes.
Alex Keranen
Favorite Species–Bass and Walleye
Big Catches–6 pound, 13 oz largemouth, 6 pound 15 oz smallmouth, and 32 3/4 inch walleye
Favorite Brands–Daiwa, Elliot Rods, and Outcast Tackle
Quote–I fish for hours to hold a bass for seconds.
Matt Sallila
Favorite Species–Walleye, Bass, and Northern
Big Catches–37.5 northern, 27 inch walleye, and 4.5 pound bass
Favorite Brands–Ugly Stik, 13, and G-Loomis
Quote–It’s fish-o-clock somewhere!
Tavian Hallmark
Favorite Species–Bass and walleye
Big Catches–6 pound 2 ounce largemouth
Favorite Brands–13, UFO bait company, Spro
Quote–Don’t ask me why I am hooked on fishing, ask yourself why you are not!
Koda Neighbors
Favorite Species–Rainbow Trout and bass
Big Catches–Not Yet
Favorite Brands–Ugly Stik
Quote–
Spartan Angling, Spring ’19
Favorite Species–walleye, pike, and sturgeon
Big Catches–59 inch sturgeon, 35 inch northern pike
Favorite Brands–Berkley, Terminator Lures, and Rapala
Quote: “Of course I am talking to myself when I am fishing; sometimes I need expert advice!”
Favorite Species–largemouth bass and sturgeon
Big Catches–6 pound largemouth bass and 3 pound smallmouth bass
Favorite Brands–Yum, River 2 Sea, Favorite Rods and Shimano Reels
Quote: “I eat, sleep, and breathe fishing….that’s what I do!”
Favorite Species: Crappies and Panfish
Big Catches: Not Yet!
Favorite Brands: Vexilar, Northland Tackle, Strikemaster
Quote: “It’s still fun, even if you don’t catch anything!”
Favorite Species: Bass, Northern, and Walleye
Big Catches: 7 pound, 13 oz largemouth, 6 pound, 6 oz smallmouth, 21 pound northern pike
Favorite Brands: Rapala, Terminator, and Shimano Reels
Quote: “The only Fisherman you should try to be better than is the fisherman you were yesterday!”
Favorite Species: Bass, Panfish, and Walleye
Big Catch: 22 inch largemouth bass
Favorite Brands: Terminator, Rapala, and Bio Baits
Quote: “If you don’t like fishing, then you probably don’t like me.”
Favorite Species: Northern, Crappie, and Bass
Big Catch: Not Yet
Favorite Brands: Rapala, Terminator, and Bio Baits
Quote: “Fishing is life!”
Favorite Specie: Walleye
Big Catches: 6 pound walleye
Favorite Brands: Rapala, Terminator, and VMC
Quote: “Sorry I missed your call, I was on the other line!”
Favorite Specie: Largemouth Bass
Big Catches: Not Yet
Favorite Brands: Yum, Rapala, and Spiderwire
Quote: “I got 99 problems and fishing solves all of them.”
Fish Species: Crappies
Big Catches: Not yet!
Favorite Brands: 13 Rods, Berkley, and Bio Baits
Quote: “Take someone fishing, you feed them for the day. Teach a person how to fish, you can feed them for life.”
Fish Species: Crappies, Northern and Walleye
Big Catches: 9 pound northern pike
Favorite Brands: Rapala, Suffix, and Terminator
Quote: “I only fish on days that end in y.”
Fish Species: Crappies, Northern, and Largemouth Bass
Big Catches: 17 inch crappie
Favorite Brands: Rapala, Berkley, and Clam
Quote: “I don’t go fishing to escape my life; I go fishing to live my life!”
https://spartanangling.com/index.php/2019/05/15/braden-depaulis/
A huge thank you to L and M in Grand Rapids and Eric Porterfield for helping Spartan Angling establish a ice and summer fishing lending program. We have rods, reels, tackle, locators, flashers, ice houses, augers, tip ups and a huge assortment of tackle to catch fish!
When Luke Adam asked his Spartan Angling class at Nashwauk High School the first day of class one fish they wanted to catch–that fish was the Lake Sturgeon. The chance to catch a four to five foot fish was enough to lure the kids to the infamous Rainy River. These students unanimously voted to target this species as the “big” trip for the class. A date fishing date was set, and all the class had to do wait for the day!
Spartan Angling was founded at Nashwauk High School in January of 2019 from a DNR grant aimed to recruit and retain anglers. Math teacher Luke Adam, an avid fisherman, wanted to bring angling knowledge, experiences, and provide opportunities for kids to become lifelong anglers. The Spartan Angling experience exposes them to Minnesota fish species, locations and seasonal patterns, tactics, slot limits, over harvest, invasive species, shoreline management, and several other topics. The class is way different than emerging fishing teams, because the kids learn a lot more about the art and science of angling.
Eleven students from the Spartan Angling class, Luke, and the principal Ranae Seykora made the trip May 9th to Baudette Minnesota. 11 inches of snow fell the night before in Duluth, but luckily the eager anglers were driving up in rain instead. As we went through Bigfork, the skies began to part and slivers of sunshine began streaking through the ski. Miles of no cell phone service had kids working on homework and talking face to face! It was a welcomed change to the youth anglers. The instructor, Luke Adam had formed a fishing partnership with Border View Lodge and the kids were loaded into two charter boats and Luke’s Alumacraft Tournament Pro. Border View Lodge values youth angling and gave Luke a deep discount on the trip with the students. The students created a thank you poster in partnership with the NK Shop Class and hand wrote letters of appreciation to the resort.
The boats anchored in the last few miles of the Rainy River near the the resort. Several sturgeon were spotted surfacing in the morning by guides and students were dressed in ice fishing gear to battle the elements. It didn’t take too long for Braden DePaulis to tie into a prehistoric beast that was making her journey to spawn in a portion of the river or tributary. Screams and arms waving with excitement echoed from the charter boat as other boats kept hearing, “We’re hooked up!” DePaulis decided to share the fish of a lifetime with other anglers in boat. Jon Olson, Rick Webster, and James Newman all got to tussle with the white bellied monster for several minutes, as principal Seykora captured smiles on camera. As the whiskers broke the surface the excitement peaked with sheer screams and sound carrying for miles. The anglers had won–a nearly FIVE FOOT lake sturgeon was grunted and wrestled into the boat by the guide and adrenaline rushed anglers. It was like the red carpet was rolled out for the crew as camera flashes and “slime high fives” slapped the air with excitement. The David v.s. Goliath was won and the migrating mother of thousands of eggs was gently released into the murky waters of the river to restart her journey.
Other anglers did manage to catch a few smaller sturgeon, suckers, and eelpout. The fish were all released and memories were made by all. Students now know the tactics, locations, and habitat to look for as their enter their driving stages of life and can trailer their 12-14 foot boats to the river. They now are able to identify the scutes on the fish, baits used, and what to look for on the rod as they wait for a bite. They know why the sturgeon has large pectoral fins and a tail designed to travel long distances to forage and spawn. They are successful graduates of Sturgeon University. They can now feel the excitement of not being able to sleep and create memories for themselves, friends, and future families. They are the future of fishing and experiences like this start the fishing traditions that are being lost in today’s society. I am proud of my anglers and they were incredibly appreciative of their experience today. My grandfather, Dave Heritage, who passed the priceless gift of teaching me fishing, would be so proud today.
Spartan Angling is in need sustainable funds to continue this class. We are looking for sponsors and business to help financially sustain trips like this for kids. We are also looking for avid anglers to share knowledge and speak to kids. If you are interested in donating time, money or resources, please e-mail Luke: ladam@isd319.org to help continue this opportunity to youth at Nashwauk-Keewatin High School and provide these memories for years to come.
Luke Adam
Spartan Angling
