Competing in its first ever state tournament, the Amherst Fishing Team missed its third trophy of the season by just one place in the team standings, finishing 11th out of more than 90 teams registered throughout the state.
Trophies were awarded to the top ten teams with competition spread over two weekends in February at any available public waters with good ice. The Wisconsin Interscholastic Fishing Association (WIFA) state tournament is typically held at one location but the warmest winter in Wisconsin history meant everyone was on their own with each team’s catch recorded through the phone app, Fish Donkey, and final measurements compared once everyone had finished a designated day of fishing.
Amherst filled all strings (10 crappie, 10 perch, 10 blue gills, five bass and five northern pike) but failed to land any notable lunkers as the team split up into two groups and fished a variety of lakes from Waupaca to Minocqua.
“I was really proud of how hard the kids worked. It was a really long day but the effort of the kids that participated was outstanding,” said head coach Jason Pickering. “To finish 11th out of over 90 teams is a testament to how hard the Amherst team pushed. I am thankful to the kids that worked so hard to make this year a success and thankful to our sponsors for their ongoing support.”
Neenah High School took top honors with a total of 554.75 inches followed by Appleton North, 550.50, Slinger, 544.50, and Osceola, 522.75. Amherst’s total came in under 500 inches but just a foot shy of a top ten finish and a team trophy. Amherst will return a number of its top fishing boys and girls next year with the hope that the ice returns to typical levels.
