The new Merrill High School Fishing Club participated in its first tournament Oct. 16 at Bluegill Bay County Park in Wausau.
With about 25 students on the roster, the club is advised by Doug Iwen, Olivia Dachel, Dan Smith and Ryan Rudie.
The framework for the club started late last year and was approved as a club activity in May of 2017. The club is open to all MHS students.
The fishing club meets weekly and also gets together to go fishing. The MHS Fishing Club is a member of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Fishing Association (WIFA), which hosts a variety of tournaments throughout the year.
Students don’t need to participate in tournaments to be in the club, but several did compete in the recent tournament put on by D.C. Everest. Club members Ashton Dalton, Noah Parrett, Travis Wright and Andreou Goetsch won prizes at the tournament.
Club president Andreou Goetsch pursued getting the fishing club established at Merrill High School.
“Fishing is something I always loved and I wanted to give that opportunity to other students and make it part of the high school activities,” he said.
The fishing club gives students a chance to be involved and be part of a team, even if they don’t have other athletic interests, Goetsch added.
With no school funding, the fishing club will try to attend tournaments that are close to home, Goetsch noted. They have their sights set on the state tournament, which will be held in March 2018 on the Minocqua Chain of Lakes.
The club is also looking toward fundraising and sponsorships to help support their activities.