Attention all fishers! Tosa West is introducing the fishing club, advised by physical education teacher and track coach, Matthew Good. The club is holding their first meeting on Thursday November 9th at 3:30pm in the Steiner Center in the Tosa West library to discuss their plans and outline some of the upcoming events.

Last year, Seniors Vanessa Henderson and Olivia Schmidt approached physical education teacher Matthew Good and expressed their interest in starting the fishing club. They wrote a proposal, which was approved by administration, and it is now recognized as an official club. They are currently working on all of the details, such as regular meeting times and fishing locations. They hope it can be a spot where kids can come and talk about fishing.

”Our goal is to bring people in who are professional fisherman and amateur fishermen to talk to the group about how to fish for certain species and different types of fish. And then we’ll see where it goes from there.” said Good.

This club is meant to be a place where kids who share a love of fishing can come together and build a community. There isn’t just one certain way to fish, so everyone will be able to learn from each other.

Senior Vanessa Henderson, co-creator of the club, wanted to start the club because she thought it could be a good way for people to make connections with each other and learn more about a sport. 

“I’ve been fishing a long time, but I feel like every person I talk to about it with has had a different experience, different catches, and a unique perspective. Perhaps bringing some of that to the West would give the kids a positive outlet, a unique activity to participate in, and a community to meet some really cool people.” Henderson said.

Students who are already experienced fishers can gain more knowledge to improve their skills, and students with little experience can begin learning how to fish.

Good said that this club could start competing in fishing competitions, but might not happen the first year.

There are other high schools that participate in competitions for fishing around Wisconsin, and it’s becoming more and more popular.

Most teams are a part of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Fishing Association which has over 120 Wisconsin high school teams participating in this association which mainly sponsors ice fishing competitions.

There has been a lot of recent interest from high school students in fishing, over 120 teams are a part of this association. For more information click the link below.

With or without fishing competitions, there is no requirement to have any proficiency when it comes to knowing how to bait a hook, cast a line or land a fish.

When asked what fishing level kids need to be at to join, Good said, “No experience necessary, anyone can come.”