Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Thirty years ago, Dan Frankowski searched for something to keep him busy in his free time. He joined Colorado Parks and Wildlife as a volunteer to help with the annual walleye fish spawning project.
Each spring, CPW catch and release hundreds of walleye fish, with a statewide goal of harvesting 120-130 million eggs from the captured fish. Walleye don’t have a high success rate of spawning naturally, so CPW fertilizes and raises the eggs themselves to make sure there are enough fish in Colorado’s waterways for recreational fishing.
It all starts with the tedious task of repairing fish nets.
“Nobody really notices that, I don't think. But, it gets done every year,” said Frankowski, now 82.
Boat motors and rocks rip open the nets, leaving gaping holes that volunteers splice back together. Frankowski taught other volunteers, like Mark Emkins, how to tie different knots to repair the fishing nets.
“We have a lot of fun doing it amongst ourselves. Just joking around, gettin’ er’ done,” said Emkins. “It's not that much fun, really, but we just make it that way.”
Frankowski, Emkins and Russ Dewey save CPW thousands of dollars every year by fixing the agency’s existing nets. They repair 33 nets — each one 400 feet long and six feet deep. The trio of retirees starts repairing the nets in mid-January, and repairs must be completed by mid-March, when CPW begins using them to catch walleye fish.
Read more at rmpbs.org
Produced by Chelsea Casabona
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: bit.ly/3zeF6Ch
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Thirty years ago, Dan Frankowski searched for something to keep him busy in his free time. He joined Colorado Parks and Wildlife as a volunteer to help with the annual walleye fish spawning project.
Each spring, CPW catch and release hundreds of walleye fish, with a statewide goal of harvesting 120-130 million eggs from the captured fish. Walleye don’t have a high success rate of spawning naturally, so CPW fertilizes and raises the eggs themselves to make sure there are enough fish in Colorado’s waterways for recreational fishing.
It all starts with the tedious task of repairing fish nets.
“Nobody really notices that, I don't think. But, it gets done every year,” said Frankowski, now 82.
Boat motors and rocks rip open the nets, leaving gaping holes that volunteers splice back together. Frankowski taught other volunteers, like Mark Emkins, how to tie different knots to repair the fishing nets.
“We have a lot of fun doing it amongst ourselves. Just joking around, gettin’ er’ done,” said Emkins. “It's not that much fun, really, but we just make it that way.”
Frankowski, Emkins and Russ Dewey save CPW thousands of dollars every year by fixing the agency’s existing nets. They repair 33 nets — each one 400 feet long and six feet deep. The trio of retirees starts repairing the nets in mid-January, and repairs must be completed by mid-March, when CPW begins using them to catch walleye fish.
Read more at rmpbs.org
Produced by Chelsea Casabona
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: bit.ly/3zeF6Ch
------------------------------------------------------
Follow Rocky Mountain PBS on our other platforms, too.
• Newsletter: rmpbs.org/newsletters
• Facebook: facebook.com/rmpbs
• Instagram: instagram.com/rmpbs
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/rocky-mountain-pbs
