For the first time since its formation, the Amherst Ice Fishing Team placed among the top 10 high school teams in the state at the annual ice fishing championship sponsored by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Fishing Association (WIFA) on Sat., Feb. 21.
The Falcons finished eighth among 92 teams at the season’s marquee event held on several lakes comprising the Wisconsin River from Stevens Point to Wausau.
The Winneconne High School Fishing Team totaled 454.75 inches of fish to claim the top spot followed by West De Pere (442.75) and third place Freedom (436.75). Rounding out the top five were Waupaca (404.75) and Appleton North (399.25). Amherst registered 328.5 inches as only 10 teams in the entire field bested 300 inches with some quitting early due to issues with the weather and general fatigue.
Ice Fishing Coach Jason Pickering was elated with the team’s finish. “To compete against 90 plus teams from all over the state, including big Division I schools, and schools that seem to have endless funds, and yet finish in the top 10 is incredible! It really is a testament to how hard our kids work and how good they are at this sport,” Pickering said.
Teams of 12 students each fished to catch (photo-release) a mixed bag of 40 fish consisting of 10 bluegill, 10 perch, 10 crappie, five Northern Pike and five walleye/bass.
Amherst registered 36 of the 40 required fish, struggling as did many other teams to land pike on the heels of a snowstorm and cold front. Despite these difficulties, Amherst rallied late to close the perch category thanks to the efforts of Aubrey and Allison Raddatz and then pulled a 28-inch pike from Korbin Williams late in the day to crack the top 10.
Amherst’s state team members included Williams, the Raddatzs, Bryson Betro, Carter Ebben, Cashton and Levi Cullen, Brady Dambrowski, Logan Glodowski, Bo Blanchard, Landon Wenzel, and Stephan Szymkowiak.
Amherst’s best state finish to date was 11th place two years ago. Last year, the team placed 15th overall. Only the top ten teams receive trophies.
At the banquet held the evening before the tournament, Aubrey and Allison were named Master Anglers as Aubrey registered 10 master fish during the course of the year and Allison registered seven. Master fish must meet a minimum standard caught during the course of the preceding year.
Final tournament victory caps season
The Amherst HIgh School Ice Fishing Team closed the season with a statewide tournament win, finishing first in the Perfect Pair Ice Fishing Challenge hosted by the Frederic School District on Feb. 28-March 1. It marks the team’s second tournament win in the past three years. 
Amherst tallied 138.25 inches, edging the River Falls Fishing Club by less than two inches total as they netted 136.50. Rounding out the top ten teams were Kettle Moraine KM Finnatics, 121.75; Shell Lake/Spooner, 115.25; Frederic School, 115.00; Altoona High School Fishing Club, 104.50; Slinger Team Titan, 87.25; Kickapoo High School, 85,25; Drummond High School 82.75, and Brillion HIgh School 78.75.
This tournament was unique in that teams were allowed to fish on any public body of water and required to register their two biggest fish in several categories: perch, blue gill, bass, crappie, and northern pike. Most tournaments typically require a string of 10 pan fish but the emphasis in this tournament was on size. The tournament was also unique in that the parents and siblings of team members were able to register fish as part of the team’s tally.
“The team we competed with on this day was missing a lot of our upperclassmen and best fishermen. We mostly had a team of underclassmen and middle schoolers. Almost all of these kids fished very hard the entire day to make sure that we filled our stringer and had a chance to win. To defeat teams that could fish on any body of water in the state with all these young kids bodes well for the future of our team. What a great way to end the year!” said coach Pickering.
Amherst’s victory was very much in doubt at one point as the team struggled to close out two crappies until late in the afternoon on the Waupaca Chain O’ Lakes, the team’s targeted body of water. A final push, with more jig poles in the water and great attention to detail, yielded the desired result as the team filled the string of required fish with scarcely an hour to spare. The Falcons tied for first in crappies with an 11 inch caught by Williams and a 10.75 inch caught by Ebben.
Amherst won the tourney in part thanks to the efforts of Jacob Pickering who tallied the team’s two biggest pikes on the day. They measured 25.75 and 29 inches, respectively.
Midway through the day, coach Pickering fried burgers and then handed out copious door prizes to those in attendance. Everyone walked away with a mini-pile of fishing gear thanks to the team’s many public donations and sponsors, noted Pickering.
“The support from our sponsors and from this community is absolutely amazing. The Mykisen family donated hamburgers to feed everyone. Hoovers Live Bait donated bait for the outing. HT Enterprises dropped off a bunch of equipment and tackle, making sure that everyone went home with at least one prize.
“Local community members have brought in everything from old tackle boxes full of stuff to brand new rods and reels to cash donations to help these kids be successful. Every kid went home with a bunch of new gear. It was like watching Christmas morning. If anyone has equipment laying around that they would like to donate, I will make sure and get it to the kids. Anyone interested in sponsoring the team next year should contact me and I look forward to hearing from them,” Pickering added.
