Steve Gobel and his family have a long history of fishing here in the Magic Valley Region. Steve recalls some great fishing he and his dad had on the Hagerman WMA, and he was pleased when Fish and Game decided to restore the warm water fisheries. Steve anxiously waited for the transplanted bluegill and largemouth bass to take hold and begin rebuilding those fish populations. Fish and Game had some challenges including avian predation and the scarcity of mature bluegill for tranplant. Combined, these two challenges complicated the restoration. Steve kept tabs on department activities and offered up information regarding potential sources for transplants. Recently, he decided to contribute directly.
Steve Gobel generously donated commercially reared bluegill for Idaho anglers who fish on the Hagerman WMA. Steve privately purchased 3,000 bluegill, averaging around 2 inches, to help rebuild a fishery after it was restored to remove common carp.
Steve received a “Caught in the Act of Doing Good” coin from Idaho Fish and Game for his generosity and active role in helping IDFG. The "Caught in the Act of Doing Good" recognition program started years back by a now retired Regional Conservation Officer Gary Hompland and the Landowner Sportsman Coordinator at that time Brad Lowe. The intent of the program was to find a special way to recognize good behavior or good deeds that impact Idaho's resources or affect sportsmen in a positive way. We don't have a list of who received this recognition, but some examples might include hunters assisting other hunters, returning lost firearms or fishing gear, picking up trash on Department property, etc. The point is, this recognition gives regional staff a special way to say thank you to those folks they encounter doing good things.