Competitive fishing snags local high school students
For some Oak Lawn High School students, it’s all about the bass.
Competitive anglers at Oak Lawn High School this spring snagged two consecutive bass fishing tournament wins and competed in the sectional bass tournament May 5, testing their lucky lures in the Des Plaines River near Channahon.
Oak Lawn social studies teacher Chris Kuchyt said he started the club almost nine years ago, when the Illinois High School Association began a high school bass fishing tournament program.
“I started the club, and right off the bat there was big, big interest in fishing,”
Kuchyt said. An Oak Lawn native himself, he said he grew up fishing, and was happy to share these opportunities with other kids.
“One of the big things atOak Lawn High School focuses on getting every kid involved in some sort of activity,” Kuchyt said. Fishing adds to the variety of more 55 clubs and teams, from band to basketball to anime club and Scholastic Bowl.
The team is actually part competitive team and part club. A coed group of about 30 participate in outings throughout northern Illinois during warmer months, fishing from the shore of Lake Michigan, small lakes and the Des Plaines River, among other spots. , In the winter, they might take in a fishing trade show. A handful of students take their fishing to the next level, fishing from a boat in the IHSA bass tournaments.
The Oak Lawn team captain, junior Justin Sullivan, said he has been fishing since he was young.
Competitive bass fishing has grown among other area high schools, including Providence Catholic in New Lenox, Brother Rice and Marist high schools in Chicago, high schools in Joliet, and the District 230 high schools in Tinley Park, Orland Park and Palos Hills.
Teams from Providence Catholic and Marist as well as Downers Grove South High School advanced after the May 5 sectional, while the 2016-17 competitive season ended for the Oak Lawn anglers.
In addition to tournaments and fishing outings, the club spends time volunteering in the community, Kuchyt said. A group volunteered at an event through the Orland Park VFW that helped supply veterans with fishing gear.
Another group of students recently led a seminar about fishing for middle school students at Evergreen Park Library. They have also picked up garbage around the lakes where they fish.
Sophomore Garrett Kendall joined the team this year, and with sophomore Zach Jurkovic, netted a victory at an April 1 tournament at Braidwood Lake, edging out Providence High School. Kendall had the added satisfaction of having fished with his own handmade lures.
Kuchyt said many of the students enjoy the chance to get out and explore, as some of their outings are an hour or more from home. For the most part, it’s all catch-andrelease, but the salmon they caught from the shore of Lake Michigan turned into dinner.
“The kids got a lesson in filleting,”
Kuchyt said.
Parents have been very supportive, he said, and he frequently hears amom or dad ask, “Why didn’t they have that when I was in high school?”
Paige Fumo Fox is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Competitive anglers at Oak Lawn High School this spring snagged two consecutive bass fishing tournament wins and competed in the sectional bass tournament May 5, testing their lucky lures in the Des Plaines River near Channahon.
Oak Lawn social studies teacher Chris Kuchyt said he started the club almost nine years ago, when the Illinois High School Association began a high school bass fishing tournament program.
“I started the club, and right off the bat there was big, big interest in fishing,”
Kuchyt said. An Oak Lawn native himself, he said he grew up fishing, and was happy to share these opportunities with other kids.
“One of the big things atOak Lawn High School focuses on getting every kid involved in some sort of activity,” Kuchyt said. Fishing adds to the variety of more 55 clubs and teams, from band to basketball to anime club and Scholastic Bowl.
The team is actually part competitive team and part club. A coed group of about 30 participate in outings throughout northern Illinois during warmer months, fishing from the shore of Lake Michigan, small lakes and the Des Plaines River, among other spots. , In the winter, they might take in a fishing trade show. A handful of students take their fishing to the next level, fishing from a boat in the IHSA bass tournaments.
The Oak Lawn team captain, junior Justin Sullivan, said he has been fishing since he was young.
Competitive bass fishing has grown among other area high schools, including Providence Catholic in New Lenox, Brother Rice and Marist high schools in Chicago, high schools in Joliet, and the District 230 high schools in Tinley Park, Orland Park and Palos Hills.
Teams from Providence Catholic and Marist as well as Downers Grove South High School advanced after the May 5 sectional, while the 2016-17 competitive season ended for the Oak Lawn anglers.
In addition to tournaments and fishing outings, the club spends time volunteering in the community, Kuchyt said. A group volunteered at an event through the Orland Park VFW that helped supply veterans with fishing gear.
Another group of students recently led a seminar about fishing for middle school students at Evergreen Park Library. They have also picked up garbage around the lakes where they fish.
Sophomore Garrett Kendall joined the team this year, and with sophomore Zach Jurkovic, netted a victory at an April 1 tournament at Braidwood Lake, edging out Providence High School. Kendall had the added satisfaction of having fished with his own handmade lures.
Kuchyt said many of the students enjoy the chance to get out and explore, as some of their outings are an hour or more from home. For the most part, it’s all catch-andrelease, but the salmon they caught from the shore of Lake Michigan turned into dinner.
“The kids got a lesson in filleting,”
Kuchyt said.
Parents have been very supportive, he said, and he frequently hears amom or dad ask, “Why didn’t they have that when I was in high school?”
Paige Fumo Fox is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
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