With at least 15 students expressing interest in the sport, Iola High School is starting up a fishing club this month.
Organizers Jeremy Sellman and Tre Howard were set to have their first formal meeting with students Thursday evening as they figure out how the club will function, and how often members will meet.
“We’ve really just got this going in the last couple of weeks,” Sellman noted. “It’ll be an after-school or Saturday type of thing. We’ll talk with the kids to let them know what our expectations will be.”
The calendar — and more importantly, the weather — will play a large role in how the club functions in the early going.
“Because of the weather, we’re not going to be able to get out on the water a lot, at least early on,” Sellman said. “But there are so many other things we can do and learn about first. Then, in the spring, we’ll get to reap the rewards from what they’ve learned.”
On top of the educational element, conservation, safety and litter prevention will be stressed as well.
An early session, for example, will likely focus on recycled Christmas trees, which can be submerged in a pond or lake to make a perfect fish habitat.
Sellman and Howard also are reaching out to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks for educational materials, and hope to speak to local landowners for permission to use their ponds or waterways.
Cleanup days will be a part of the deal as well.
The soon-to-open Lehigh Portland State Park will certainly figure into the mix as the season unfolds, Sellman said.
Howard said sign-up will be held open as other students learn about the fishing club as well.
“I’ve gotten emails from a couple of girls who want to be involved, too,” Howard noted.
Perhaps the biggest appeal, at least for the organizers, is it’s an activity that gets students outdoors, and offers a recreational activity that doesn’t involve a cell phone or computer screen.
And while most of those who signed up already have their own rods, reels and tackle, newcomers do not need to have equipment.
That’s because one of the landowners Sellman approached about using his pond already has offered $500 to purchase equipment for those in need.
Anyone hoping to support the club in any capacity are encouraged to contact either Sellman or Howard at (620) 365-4715.
