One of the newest activities to Kaneland, the Bass Fishing club, was made by freshmen and sophomores who were looking for an activity to do for fun. It was found by sophomore Jack Webster who really enjoys fishing during his free time.

“I have always loved to fish. My friends and parents saw it and they urged me to start a club,” Webster said.

Webster found other sophomores who had the same interest to fish and got the club started.

“I am always fishing out of school so I thought it would be pretty cool,” sophomore Drake Nemec said.

Because this was the club’s first year, there were obvious things the group knows that need to be changed going into next season.

“We learned surprising techniques for seasons that we thought wouldn’t work,” Nemec said.

The members learned various techniques to help with their skill and to build a chemistry.

“We also learned how to fish next to people on boats,” sophomore Evan Carlson said.

Mike Thorgesen, the Bass Fishing club sponsor, is proud with how far the group has come in such a short time.

“We had a very successful season. We had two very good performances in competitions in the spring,” Thorgesen said.

The members thought competing was a really cool experience and it was nice to get more out there.

“It was really neat to see the other schools who did this for a long time. It was a pretty big deal,” Nemec said.

Thorgesen and the club members put in practice before they take part in their local competitions.

“We normally practice at Big Rock Quarry, Lake Shabbona and other local ponds in Elburn,” Thorgesen said.

Next year, the club expects to have many more members and excel at competitions.

“We have heard lots of interest from 8th graders and freshmen who want to join the club next year,” Webster said.

One of the concerns is not having enough supplies for the group going into the 2017-2018 season.

“We are definitely going to need more boats with all the new people wanting to join,” Webster said.

The club members feel like they are prepared to get to work for next year and that their season went pretty well.

“Our season went better than I expected. We are looking to get out in the fall and winter to extend our season and have better chemistry with the other guys,” Webster said.