DNR Grant Teaches Kids Fishing in Robbinsdale

A group of Robbinsdale summer campers gathered around a table near the Crystal Lake Fishing Pier on a sunny July 9 morning.

They passed around a smattering of colorful stuffed fish — think teddy bears shaped like giant rainbow trout, not trophies from the taxidermist.

Ray Ruiz stood in front of the campers, pointing at the dorsal fin on a comically-oversized bluegill.

“O.K., does anybody know what this is? This part of the fish?” he asked.

He’s the founder and owner of Baztec, a Twin Cities based organization that teaches fishing. His dorsal fin demonstration was part of a larger lesson for the kids on fish species and anatomy. 

“I think it’s always good to teach everything when you can, from fish anatomy, fish biology, clean water, so kids could start understanding what stewardship means,” he said. “We use those big exaggerated fish pillows as you saw, because it’s easier to get kids attention with a big pillow like that.”

A Robbinsdale summer camper holds up a sunfish she caught at the Crystal Lake Fishing Pier.

DNR Grant Funds Robbinsale Program

The city of Robbinsdale hired Baztec to teach a series of classes to local schools and summer camps.

The funding came from a No Child Left Inside grant from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. 

The $6,000 grant meant that there’s no cost to families if their kid wants to participate. 

And while these kids started out learning about conservation and fishing techniques from shore, they soon headed to the fishing pier to turn their new knowledge into action. 

Some of the kids hadn’t spent much time with a rod and reel. 

“A lot of inner-city kids don’t have those opportunities,” Ruiz said. 

For others, the trip was a fun, if familiar experience. 

“It’s good to see that — when you do see a kids that grew up in the city, the urban area, that can [take their own fish off the hook], that’s actually pretty cool,” Ruiz said. 

He hopes that for newcomers, the experience leads to a lifetime of angling.

“I think the goal is to create future anglers, the goal is to create future stewards, for not only fishing, but also for conservation,” Ruiz said.

Robbinsdale