Photo by Deb Gau Lynd Public School teacher Martin Boucek supervises as Lynd students Emma Janssen carries net full of brown trout to the Redwood River

CAMDEN STATE PARK — How do you get hundreds of brown trout from the back of a truck into the Redwood River?

Lynd Public School students used a relay system. Students lined up to take turns grabbing nets full of trout from Minnesota DNR fisheries staff. Then they carried the nets down to the riverbank, where they lowered them into the water.

“Come over here. It’s deeper over here,” one student called, directing classmates to a better spot for releasing the fish.

“Ew, they’re slimy!” another student said, as she helped nudge a trout out into the stream.

Minnesota’s trout fishing opener is Saturday, and on Tuesday fisheries staff were stocking brown trout in both Brawner Lake and the Redwood River in Camden State Park. A total of 2,500 trout were released, with about 500 of them going into Brawner Lake.

In addition to stocking trout in Camden State Park, the DNR also released trout in Scheldorf Creek, in Cottonwood County.

Seventh and eighth grade students from Lynd were assisting fisheries staff in Camden Park. It’s become a springtime tradition for students to hike into the park and help stock trout in the river. Carrying the fish down the riverbank wasn’t too bad a task, students said.

“The net is heavier than the fish,” student Emma Janssen said.

This year, Lynd students have also been learning about and raising their own rainbow trout, as part of Minnesota Trout Unlimited’s Trout in the Classroom program. The trout will be released into Brawner Lake this month, said teacher Martin Boucek.

The trout fry needed a special aquarium and a lot of care, students said.

“We check the water temperature, and you have to refill and empty some parts of the tank, so it’s healthy,” said student Michael Hooker. “We check the chemistry of the water, too.”

The Lynd trout weren’t as big or mature as the brown trout being released Tuesday, Boucek said. Because of that, he thought the lake might be a better spot to release them.

Minnesota has roughly 3,800 miles of designated trout streams, according to the DNR. More information on trout streams and lakes across the state is available on mndnr.gov/fishing/trout. Anglers can also access an interactive map of trout streams and lakes at www.dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/troup/map.html.