Elk Mound students take on bass fishing in 2017
By Cara L. Dempski
ELK MOUND — A group of eight Elk Mound high school students decided they liked competitive ice fishing so much this past winter, they wanted to keep competing.
Cole Steinhorst, Gaelen Young, James Javanovich, Blaze Todd, Ben Lambele, Chris Lee, Blake Rosenthal and Chase Rhude traveled to LaCrosse May 6 for the 2017 Wisconsin High School Fishing Open. The octet spent the day fishing the Mississippi River for bass, and came away with a pair of team placings.
The Elk Mound squad also went to Wabasha, Minnesota, June 3 for the Minnesota Open.
Bass fishing teams are required to be in the ninth through 12th grades, and fish in pairs. The students must possess a valid license for the waters they fish, and must provide identification of student status and grade level for the school they attend. Each two-person team can include one coach.
Coaches are required to supply and drive boats for their teams, or arrange for boat captains to supply and drive boats. The coaches or captains need to be at least 19 years old, reside in the same state as the students comprising the team, or be an immediate family member.
Teams must make every effort to keep bass alive through the use of an aerated live well. Competitors stand to lose eight ounces off their total weight for each dead fish at weigh-in. Scoring is determined based on the pounds and ounces on each pair’s catch during the tournament.
Largemouth, spotted, redeye or smallmouth are the only accepted species, and each team of two contestants is limited to five fish, with a minimum length limit of 12 inches – unless the state or lake limit is higher – and teams are penalized one pound for each fish brought in measuring less than the legal limit.
Steinhorst and Young earned the Mounders’ highest finish at LaCrosse, placing sixth after catching 12 pounds, 15 ounces worth of fish with five caught and then released. Javanovich and Todd caught and released two fish for a total of four pounds, five ounces. The teams of Lambele and Lee, Rosenthal and Rhude were not lucky that day, as they saw nary a nibble on the line.
The eight young fishermen headed to Wabasha June 3 for the Minnesota High School Fishing Open. No tournament results were available prior to publication.