4-H Sportfishing Project

Manual

• Grade 3-5 : Take the Bait
• Grade 6-8 : Reel in the Fun
• Grade 9-12 : Cast into the Future

Create an exhibit that shows the public what you learned in the sport fishing project this year. Posters are displayed horizontally, 22" x 28," and mounted on a firm backing and covered in clear plastic or other transparent material. Be sure to include your exhibit label with your name, grade, and county. Choose one of the topics listed below, appropriate for your grade in school, and create a poster based on what you learned from the activity. Use that topic for your exhibit title, so the judges know which activity you completed. You can also use a creative sub-title if you wish.

Level 1 (Grade 3 to 5) One State Fair entry per county.

Exhibit

Exhibit a poster based on one of the following activities:

• Let's Go Fishing! - Complete the Angling Self Assessment and practice landing a fish as described in Playing a Fish. Display your self assessment to show what you currently know about fishing and indicate what you hope to learn in this project. Draw or take photos of you "Playing a Fish."
• Pop Can Casting - Display a photo of you casting your pop can rig and your casting record. Optional - display a photo of you casting a regular fishing rig and your casting record with that rig.
• Hook, Line, and Sinker - Display at least two the rigs listed in Fishing Deeper, #1. You can use a drawing or a picture to show these rigs. Answer the questions (Casting Out, Working the Lure, Setting the Hook, and Landing the Fish) on your exhibit.
• Fishy Baits - Complete and display cards similar to those shown (natural baits, prepared bait, and artificial flies and lures). Answer the Casting Out questions on your exhibit.
• Which Fish is it? - Copy the pages in your manual and use the fish and the crossword puzzle. Identify the fish and make a display that shows the correct answers in the puzzle. (Optional - enlarge the crossword puzzle).

Level 2 (Grade 6 to 8) One State Fair entry per county

Exhibit

Exhibit a poster based on the following activities:

• A Different Spin - Display a picture of you while casting and a completed Casting Record and Spinning Reel Parts diagram. Also, answer the Working the Lure and Setting the Hook questions. (You may copy the ones in your manual or make your own.)
• A Fine Kettle of Fish - Show a drawing or photograph of you cooking fish. Include your recipe and, if possible, pictures of you cleaning and/or cooking your fish.
• Clean up the Litterbug - Complete and display the chart shown on page 16. Draw or take a photo of the fishing place that you cleaned up (before and after).
• The Woolly Bugger - Take pictures or make drawings to show how a woolly bugger is made. Answer the Casting Out and Working the Lure questions.
• A Fish by Design - Draw, take pictures, or find pictures on the Internet or in magazines to show (and identify) different mouth/feeding fish, body shapes, and fish with different coloration. Briefly explain (3-5 sentences or bullet points) why fish have different mouths, body shapes, and coloration.

Level 3 (Grade 9 to 12) One State Fair entry per county.

Exhibit

Exhibit a poster based on the following activities:

• A Reel Mess - Draw, take photos, or copy the reels shown in Cleaning a Reel. Label the reels, the parts of each reel, and where you might use it. Show how you cleaned a reel using pictures or drawings.
• Designing a Skillathon Station - Make two skillathon stations (you may use the suggestions on page 9 or another fishing topic of your choice). List the topic, realistic situation, task, and materials needed. Take photographs of younger 4-H members using your stations.
• Beads, Dog Hair, and Feathers - Collect materials and tie a fly. You can display your fly or a picture of the fly. Also, list and draw or take pictures of the 7 materials in the matching game and indicate their potential use.
• Collecting Aquatic Insects - Complete and display the chart on page 18 (you may copy the chart in your book or make your own). Draw or take pictures of your kick net and your sampling procedures. Answer the questions in Casting Out and Working the Lure.
• Cast Into the Future - Complete the Career Investigation Record after talking with someone currently working in an area related to fish or fishing. Include a picture of the person you interviewed and answer the questions in Casting Out, Working the Lure, Setting the Hook, and Landing the Fish.
• Keep a Field Journal - Reproduce or copy 3-5 Field Journal entries on your display. Include photographs that show where you had the fishing experience, if possible.
• Playing Know Your Fish - Make a "flap" quiz to teach fish facts. Show a picture or ask a question about a fish. Give the answer(s) under the flap. Choose 5 - 10 fish using at least 5 fish from your manual. Be sure to list multiple species if the information you provide applies to more than one of the species you choose.

Independent Study: Grades 9 - 12, One State Fair

Exhibit

• Advanced Topic - Learn all you can about a sport fishing topic of your choice and present it on a poster. Include a short manuscript, pictures, graphs, and list the references you used to describe what you did and what you learned. Title your poster, "Advanced Sport Fishing - Independent Study"
• Mentoring - Exhibit a poster that shows how you mentored a younger 4-H member. Include your planning, the time you spent, the challenges and advantages of mentoring, and how the experience might be useful in your life. Photographs and other documentation are encouraged. Title your poster, "Advanced Sport Fishing - Mentor."