A day at the lake is practice for school’s new fishing club. Started in September, students are already putting in the work.

“We go fishing four days a week,” senior Sam Meaders said. “I go Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and then one day during the week after school.”

The fishing club isn’t your typical high school club.

“In a way it’s like a sport, it’s just not UIL,” Meaders said. “It’s called the Texas Bass Association. The cool part about it is the winners of the tournaments win prizes that are worth a lot of money and there are also scholarship opportunities.”

Fishing is popular on campus and leaving a gap that needed to be filled.

“I decided to sponsor [the fishing club] because my students and wrestlers always talked about fishing and outdoor stuff and I said if [the club is] not here I don’t mind being a sponsor and helping it get started,” teacher Mike Eaton said.

While the fishing club may be unique, Eaton still has typical sponsor responsibilities.

“I recruit students, encourage them, and I check grades and eligibility and make sure we are a legit club and follow all of the Lovejoy rules,” Eaton said.

The fishing club is already attracting some like-minded students.

“I wanted to join the fishing club because it’s a great opportunity to have fun and hangout with friends while we do something we all love,” senior John Weichel said.

The biggest struggle that affects the team is the limited amount of resources that the club has.

“[The number of students that can fish] really depends on boats,” Eaton said. “We need parents and relatives to offer their boats. It’s going to get to the point where we will have to rank our fishermen and the best will get to use the boats and compete.”

While the club may be labeled the fishing club, it’s more than that.

“We learn hunter’s safety and boater’s safety and we learn the proper way to do things like that,” Eaton said. “The club will grow to encompass more than just fishing.”

Even though the club just started competitions, they are doing quite well.

“We just finished our first competition at Texoma,” Eaton said. “We had three teams of two and one of those teams took second place.”