Wisconsin River Quest
A tour of fishing, recreation, and adventure along the WI River from Necedah Cardinal After School students
Welcome to Necedah!
During this adventure, you will be exploring different places along the Wisconsin River and a few lakes (or flowages ) that the river flows through. After school students and teachers from Necedah School District shared their favorite stories from their time on the Wisconsin River.
Each section of this quest includes a link with a question about the area. To complete this quest, you must answer these questions. Answers will give you clues that will spell out the name of an important animal in this region.
Scroll to start the adventure!
Fish for fun and food- Steven
My family fishes sometimes on the Wisconsin River. We go there to fish, to catch fish, and to eat. We go to fish for fun and to teach me how to fish.
I go fishing with my mom and dad. We fish for sport and we fish for food. We go fishing in April for spring fishing and go in December for ice fishing .
Kayaking on the Wisconsin River with the charter school- Mackenzie
When I first found out that I got to go on a field trip I was so happy on the inside. On September 9th I went to school (I have not been there for a while) I walked into the building. I went right into the charter room and saw Genevieve and a lot of other people that I have not seen for a while. We got to talk for 20 minutes. We picked up our life jackets then we got on the bus.
When we got to Buckhorn State Park we unloaded the kayaks then a certified trainer taught us the basic things before we went kayaking . The teacher split us into two groups. Group one will start building a sand castle and the other will kayak first. I was in group two. When my partner and I started we found each other's rhythm right away. Before we knew it we were one of the fastest in the class! After a while we switched.
After both the groups were done changing, we ate lunch. After lunch we put the kayaks back then we went fishing! We have to catch and release the fish we caught. Only one person caught a fish. I forgot what they caught. When fishing was over we went back to the bus and said "Thank You" to the trainer that taught us.
Then we went back to school. We reflected on what we did, the questions were like, what could have you done better, what went well today. After reflections the final bell ringed and my dad picked me up and then we went home.
My very first time on the Wisconsin River- Mackenzie
My mom and dad were on a boat they could not get back to shore so my dad had to carry my mom to shore because she is allergic to the algae in the water.
The Necedah Rock- Mrs. Staller
Back in 2016, my family and our neighbors went exploring the Necedah Rock, as local people call it. It is a place to hike in Necedah near the Woodbine Restaurant . It is a little dangerous of a climb, and some people have gotten hurt climbing all the way to the top. But we wanted to see the views of the Wisconsin River, so we went. We figured we would only climb as high as we felt comfortable going. My son was 16 years old at the time. He led us up the steep trail. The ground was slippery due to all the pine needles laying on the ground. We climbed up and up and at several places, my husband and son had to go ahead of us and then help us up onto the rocks. But we climbed to the highest point and took these wonderful pictures overlooking the Wisconsin River and the Hwy. 21 bridge. It was an absolutely beautiful vantage point. I am thankful that we took the time to make the climb.
Kayaking on Castle Rock Lake near the Yellow River flowage- Mrs. Staller
My husband and I like to launch our kayaks at the little State boat ramp to Castle Rock Lake off of 32nd Street about 4 miles outside of Necedah. This area doesn’t get as many visitors as the other parts of the Castle Rock Lake . It is to the North of the causeway bridge The water is shallower, muddy, and there is less boat traffic. It is a perfect place to kayak. We usually launch early in the morning as the sun is coming up. We kayak in all the backwaters of the Lake.
One day this summer, probably in late May, we launched our kayaks and were paddling when we heard loud splashing in the water. We were startled. We had no idea what would be making that sound. Was it a sea monster? Then we heard the splashing in other areas all around us. It was very strange. We paddled over to one area and saw hundreds of carp splashing in the water. My husband, who knows all this stuff, told me that the carp were spawning. It was an eerie sound to hear in the otherwise calm and serene morning. We continued to paddle. We saw great blue heron , sandhill crane , king fishers in or near the water, and turtles on logs. It was a glorious morning on the lake. But the thing I will always remember most is the sound of the carp splashing in the water.
Fishing with Alex
Once upon a time a boy named Alex and his big brother Jonathan were fishing with there friend Philip at Petenwell dam. They were having fun. They caught 14 catfish and 5 sheepshead . They caught 19 fish. Eventually they had to leave. What a day.
Wisconsin River- Maggie
Three years ago my mom and I climbed the rock beside the Wisconsin river. We went under the bridge too and we found a bit of seaweed and a dead fish on the shore. It stunk so bad. There was a Beautiful view of the water and trees. There was a lot of boats and people. It was so fun.
Swimming at Buckhorn- Brianna
One day with my nana, papa, cousins, mom, dad, and aunt we to Buckhorn State Park to go swimming. It was about 20-30 minutes to get to Buckhorn to swim. When we got there, I got out of the car and got a prickly thing in my foot, so I had to get it out of my foot. We all got all of the stuff that we need out of the car. Then we blew up all the floaters we needed to play with. Then we played in the water for about 2 hours and playing volleyball for another hour. Then we had to leave and I got another prickly thing in my foot and I had to get it out again. Then we went home.
Swimming with Blue- Chase
We were going to go swimming near the Buckhorn Bridge on the West side toward the school. We were going to swim on one of the side beaches where it wasn’t so busy. We took our dog, Blue, there with us for the first time. It was fun. We were splashing and messing around in the water. Blue wasn’t too sure about the water at first, but after a while he started having fun with us in the water. We had toys along for him to play with. Blue is a golden and English retriever mix. He likes the water now, except for the garden hose. Blue was only about 8 to 9 weeks old. So he was pretty small then.
Another time, we took Blue to another spot on Castle Rock Lake. We were messing around in the water. It was more shallow at this place. Blue was a little older. We kept his leash on so we could get him out of the water. We also wanted to make sure that we could help him if he got in too deep of water. He drug me around in the water. But he had a lot of fun.
Camp, Swim & Fish- Eli
Being in the Water- Ricky
At the Wisconsin River, we swim, eat lunch, take pictures, and fish. Me, personally, I just like being in the water.
Pretzels for a Snack and Bait?- Mrs. Lowery
It was a sunny, warm day on Castle Rock Lake and my family was boating with friends. The breeze was so wonderful to feel as we cruised up river toward a spot to dock and have lunch. We threw out our anchor in a space that was deep enough for our boat to stay a float as well as shallow enough to jump in and cool off in this part of the lake. We were not on a beach but next to an island in the area. As the boat stayed in it’s spot rock’n to waves from other boats that went by from a distance, we enjoyed our lunch. When our family got silly a couple pretzels got tossed by accident into the water. As quick as we realized the pretzel accident a carp gobbled up the pretzels! We were all astonished and wondered if we were to use pretzels for fishing bait would the carp snag it. So my daughter put a pretzel on the hook of her fishing pole and toss it in the water. Sure enough the carp was back and chomped at the bait! With the pole arched she reeled as quick as she could. The carp was her trophy that day and you could see it in her face as she braced herself and leaned back to reel him in! She got him up and over the edge of the boat just in time to grab the line and hold it up for a photo. Well, you know what happened next. The carp let go and splashed back into the water. My daughter’s trophy fish swam away. I’m certain that was his last pretzel bait he took interest in.
Erosion on Petenwell Lake- Mrs. Hernandez
I had a chance to take a fun boat ride with my neighbor and her best friend. It was a beautiful day and being on the water just made the day even more enjoyable! Since moving to Wisconsin, I have never been on a lake. This was my first time going to Petenwell Lake! It was so much fun!
One of the things that I really enjoyed learning was that on some of these banks you see trees slowly moving down into the water. This is due to erosion ! I never realized that rain and wind could do so much for the dirt! As erosion happens, it moves the trees down the bank and will eventually put it in the water! I found this to be so interesting! I look forward to going back and seeing where some of these trees are next summer to see if they have moved from their spot!
Bald Eagle
Click here to submit the final word to unlock your certificate for completing the Wisconsin River- Necedah Quest!
I wonder what a fish thinks as claws snag it from the waters and soar farther and farther from its friends. It must know that it is near death and will be dinner for nothing but a bald eagle . For an eagle is big and powerful what other fate could it have? This is the circle of its life-- to give life for such a majestic bird so that he can stay strong, live through the winter and prepare for the next season of life… and continue to be majestic, awesome and beautiful.
Acknowledgements
This story map guided tour was developed by Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center in collaboration with Necedah School District After School Program and teacher, Linda Lowery. Thank you to all the students who submitted their stories and experiences along the Wisconsin River!
This guided tour promotes place-based learning about shoreline issues in the state and was funded by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension and the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin .
Most of the photos were taken by Linda Lowery and Lindsey Taylor.