Iowa fishing educator earns Brass Bluegill Award from DNR

Atlantic, Iowa — Bob Harris is the recipient of the 2024 Brass Bluegill award from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Fish Iowa! program.

The Brass Bluegill award has been presented each year since 1996 to Fish Iowa! educators with outstanding local programs that exemplify the goals of the Fish Iowa! Angler Education program.

Harris started a nonprofit organization in 2020 to promote fishing for Junior and Senior High School students. The Southwest Iowa Fishing Team aims to promote, advance, and sponsor amateur youth fishing for boys and girls in Southwest Iowa and surrounding communities.  

Their primary initiative is to instill the ideals of good sportsmanship, education, conservation, and fish care through instruction, seminars, and training during all outdoor youth activities.

Dozens of junior and senior high school aged boys and girls from across Iowa have joined this team and competed in youth bass fishing tournaments locally and nationally.

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Harris also provides students with educational opportunities. Using fishing as a springboard, he and his team gain a better understanding of fish biology, habitat, and water management. He works with local agencies, organizations and businesses to access equipment, local resources, and funds for supplies.

The Southwest Iowa Fishing Team is committed to giving back to the natural resources in Iowa. Harris and his team successfully completed a fundraising campaign to purchase materials the team used to build fish habitat at more than a dozen Southwest Iowa public fishing lakes.

Iowa DNR Fisheries Bureau staff have been assisting Harris and his team to help make these efforts educational and engage students to learn and expand their knowledge about aquatic fish life in the area lakes and ponds. He has built strong support for fishing, and outdoor education overall, in the area schools and community.

The award, along with a set of fishing poles to use with their Fish Iowa! programs, was presented at the Natural Resources Commission Meeting on March 13.