Iowa DNR Master Angler Gold Award

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR or DNR) started a new "Master Angler" program in 2011.  There is a list of 40+ fish species and a minimum length requirement.  If you catch a fish that meets or exceeds that minimum length, you can submit it for a Master Angler award.  You get a certificate and a decal.

Once you catch Master Angler-sized fish of 5 different species, you earn a "Silver Award"...they send you a silver-ish medallion along with that Master Angler certificate (which also says Master Angler Silver on it).

Once you catch Master Angler-sized fish of 10 different species, you earn a "Gold Award"...they send you a gold-ish (or brass-ish or bronze-ish) medallion with that Master Angler certificate (which also says Master Angler Gold on it).

I had 9 different species by the end of last year, so naturally one of my goals this year was to catch a 10th species of a Master Angler qualifying size, in order to earn the Gold Award.  As I showed in my previous blog entry, I caught that fish, and it was a 33" Common Carp!

So, now I've received my "Gold Award".  Here it is, along with the Silver Award I'd previously earned.

Twenty anglers preceded me in earning the Gold Award....I am No. 21.  I checked some of the other anglers, because I know at least one or two do some flyfishing.  From what I could tell, I am the first person to catch 10 Species of Master Angler size entirely by flyfishing.
Boom.  That just happened.  :)

All were caught out of public waters, and 7 of the 10 were caught within city limits of the town I live in!  How awesome is that??