BUTTE — Well, I’m here with Dallas Weston. He’s a junior at Butte High School, we both got our fishing rods, I’ve got my fly rod. Dallas, though, has a special rod—one that he made himself.
So, we’re going to try our fishing here at the Racetrack ponds and see if my fancy fly rod can match up to his. Let’s do it. Tight lines.
“It feels pretty good actually. It feels pretty amazing knowing I built my own rod and I don’t got to buy one since I already have one,” said Butte High student Jaylan Jackson.
Butte High’s welding technology instructor, Denise Bordeleau, had her class build their own spinner rods in class and then took them on a field trip to the pond at Racetrack to try them out.
“I think they learned a little bit about pride in workmanship and, hey, I made this. Pride in just something that they made that I think they’ll be able to use. And I just though it was something they could have for the rest of their life,” said Bordeleau.
Even students who had never fished before ended up enjoying the project.
“It was definitely that I won’t forget and something I really thought I wouldn’t enjoy, but I did,” said student Samantha Ross.
What’s your secret to try to catch a fish?
“Patience … Patience is … oh, look it, I got a stick! Oh, that’s beautiful.,” said Addysan Hayes.
Well, a guy once told me … I asked him, ‘Where are the fish biting?’ and he said, ‘In the water.’
No one on the field trip—not even myself—caught any fish that morning, but it was still an enjoyable experience for the students.
“It feels really good, it feels a lot more special because you’re not just buying a rod, you’re making it yourself and you’re out here experiencing and finally using it for the first time,” said Ross.
