Fishing and friendship

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While many relish the solitude of fishing, several young people in Chelsea welcome sharing the experience.

The Chelsea Anglers is a high school fishing team devoted to learning the finer points of the sport while participating in team competition. The group — this year made up of 15 boys and one girl — was established seven years ago and is coached by Russ Dennis.

Dennis, a quality manager for the Nemak auto parts manufacturing company, said his brother taught him to fish more than 20 years ago.

“My job is stressful, and fishing is a release that I’ve enjoyed from day one,” Dennis said. “One of the primary purposes of the Chelsea Anglers is to introduce the love of fishing to the kids, and when the opportunity to coach came up, I knew it was the kind of thing I’ve wanted to do for many years.”

The Chelsea Anglers’ season coincides with the school year. August marks the beginning of regular meetings and promotion of membership within the schools, Dennis said.

“The fall is dedicated to teaching the basics to new members, pre-fishing and, through the end of December, participating in individual competition,” he said. “The Chelsea Anglers are actually competing against each other to get enough points to be a member of our 10-man team that will go on to compete in three tournaments held in February through April.” 

According to Dennis, the 10-man team is divided into pairs, each with an adult to captain their boat. There are about 195 boats with students from other schools in the three regional competitions, each trying to gain enough points to qualify their group to go to the Alabama Student Angler Bass Fishing Association tournament in May at Joe Wheeler State Park near Decatur.

“While this is occurring, the other members are taking part in tournaments sponsored by area boating companies, merchants or state organizations,” he said.

But, Dennis said, competition fishing is about more than plaques and titles.

“Most fishing leagues — we belong to two — are offering money that can be applied to college tuition,” he said.“Being a Chelsea Angler gives members the chance to win those kinds of funds.”

While the Chelsea Anglers gain points based on the number of tournaments in which they fish and the weight of the fish they catch, they also get points for community service and fundraising.

 “We have to rely on sponsors and others to be able to do what we do,” Dennis said. Each of our kids is responsible for a minimum of $200 in donations that go toward entry fees, league memberships and gas and maintenance for the captains’ boats.”

The captains — there are eight this season — are usually parents of members and provide their personal boats in order to allow all 16 Chelsea Anglers to fish.

While Mark Pigford has no children, he said he jumped at the chance to take on the role when Dennis, a fellow Nemak employee, asked.

“There were two kids that needed a boat in order to take part, and it was the Christian thing to do,” Pigford said.“What impressed me most was how the team has grown and how eager the kids are to learn. We’d be in a tournament for eight hours with no bites, but they never quit.”

One of Pigford’s anglers, Lindsay Walton, is new to the group this year and the only female on the team.

“She’s somewhat of a beginner but soaked it up like a sponge,” he said. “She learned how to throw a baitcaster and got so good, I gave her an old one of mine. She asked me to take her picture to show all her friends.”

Walton, 14, not only showed pictures to her friends but said she’s talking to some of them about joining the Chelsea Anglers next year.

“I’d fished some but never done a tournament, and a friend on the team told me it was a lot of fun,” she said. “My dad had taught me the basics, but now I’ve learned how to tie knots, what lures to use and am fishing six to eight hours each time.”

Walton said she’s surprised there aren’t more girls on the team.

“Not only is fishing a lot of fun, it’s a great thing to know,” she said. “And everybody can do it because it’s not a gender sport like softball or baseball.”

Reese Dennis, a 13-year-old first-year Chelsea Angler and Russ Dennis’ son, said he got hooked on fishing when he was 6.

“My dad and I were in a family reunion fishing competition and caught 11 bass and a few catfish,” he said.“From that day, I started to fish a lot.”

Calling himself “not much of a social person,” Reese said he normally fished only with his dad, but his dad encouraged him to join the Anglers.

“I didn’t like the idea at first, but when I got 11th out of 195 kids in my third qualifying tournament, that made me feel really good,” he said. “And now I fish more with my teammates than my dad, and I believe I’ll join up again next year.”

Zane Loveday, 17, has been a Chelsea Angler for six years and is the senior member of the group. When his family moved here from Mississippi several years ago, he knew no one and credits fishing for his many friendships. 

“It’s great to fish as a group, and I’ve gotten to know so many people,” he said. “On-water competition is serious, but when you’re off the water, you can make a lot of good friends,even from other schools, and that’s different than sports like football.”

Loveday, who plans to pursue his nursing degree at Calhoun Community College in Decatur, said dedication is the one thing all Anglers must possess to succeed.

“There’s a lot of preparation, including reading maps and studying the lake to find the best locations, preparing your tackle and cleaning the boat,” he said. “It takes work, and you have to be committed to putting in time both on and off the water.”

Though he’s been fishing since he could hold a rod, 15-year-old Brayton Lowery said this was the first year he had time to be an Angler.

“I play baseball, which has the same season, but hurt my arm, so I decided to join and am so glad I did,” Lowery said. “I’m one of 10 who qualified to fish in the three regional competitions, and I’m hoping we’ll be able to go to the state tournament in May.”

Regardless of the tournament results, the sophomore said his decision to join the team was a good one.

“Being around others who love to fish, spending time with friends and doing what I love is great,” he said.“Getting out there, seeing the sunrise and God’s beautiful earth and catching his fish — it’s all outstanding to me. If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it.”

The Chelsea Anglers’ 10-man team vying for a spot in the May tournament includes Lowery, Loveday, Reese Dennis, Quintin Dorough, Hunter Gulledge, Will Looney, Jacob McGuire, Bailey McKinney, Jett Moore and William Pace.

Other members of the Chelsea Anglers are Ayden Bradley, Carson Freeman, Peyton Long, Nick McNeal, Lindsay Walton and Cody Wonn.

Anyone interested in donating to or sponsoring the Chelsea Anglers can contact Coach Russ Dennis at (256) 872-1174 or russdennis44@gmail.com.