According to tech ed teacher Tom Wysocki, who serves as coach, the school has had a team for about eight years. He was a parent volunteer when his sons — now ages 19 and 21 — were on the team and took over as coach when he started teaching at the school five years ago.

“It’s kind of fun. I enjoy taking kids fishing, especially kids that have families that don’t always get to take them fishing. It’s kind of nice to take the kids to showcase that,” he said.

There are seven members this year, down from previous years. Some years there were as many as 15, he said. Team members include senior Joshua Knutson, with four years of experience; Joey Stec, Charlie Johnson and Hailey Tesch, juniors with three years of experience; sophomores Ethan Squires and Zach Roland, on the team for two years; and senior Minna Yang, who has one year on the team. Students must be in high school to be a member.

Wysocki relies a lot on Knutson and Stec, who both fished before they joined the team. The more experienced team members help those who are not as experienced.

(Tom Wysocki photo) Joey Stec shows a fishing tournament catch.

“It’s good for the kids to learn and it’s nice to have kids come back,” Wysocki said. “There’s a bit of a learning curve if you’re just starting to fish — how to set up a tip up, how to set up a jig pole, what bait to use, how deep to go — that kind of thing.”

Schools sign up for two to three tournaments to qualify for the state tournament, held at the end of February. In the past it was held in LaCrosse on the Mississippi River. The last couple of years, because of warm weather and COVID-19, they’ve had what they call open or virtual tournaments. Schools sign up and can fish anywhere in Wisconsin, Wysocki explained.

He said most of the schools in the Northern Lakes Conference have an ice fishing team. There are also several schools in the Marinette & Oconto Conference that have teams.

The team holds one fundraiser a year and takes part in a state raffle fundraiser that generates money for each school that participates. The money is used for travel, fees and equipment. The team has three portable ice fishing shacks, an ice auger and some other equipment, most of which was donated.

At the tournaments, the team can arrive early, drill the holes and have everything set to go, Wysocki said. Some tournaments have an allotted time for starting and ending, but others you can start anytime, but can only fish for a certain amount of time. Students are in charge of the setup for the tournaments.

(Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo) Members of the Goodman-Armstrong Creek High School ice fishing team, from left, Minna Yang, Zach Roland, Ethan Squires, Joey Stec, Joshua Knutson, Charlie Johnson and Hailey Tesch.

“Me, being the coach, I can only drill the holes. I can’t set tip ups, jig poles. The kids do everything from start to finish,” he said. He also has parent volunteers who assist.

The fish must be measured on a Rapala Magnum bump board, which folds down for easy transport, but can measure fish up to 60 inches. The coach takes pictures of the fish on the bump board and submits the pictures to the WIFA.

The students on the team seem to enjoy the experience.

“My family and friends all fish and I fished and grew up on the water,” Knutson said. “This is very fun, just to get outside and enjoy the outdoors.”

“I like it. It give me something to do on the weekend,” Stec said.

“It’s a good way to have something fun to do in the winter time waiting for spring sports to start up, especially if you’re not very athletic,” Johnson said laughing.

Tesch also said it’s a fun experience. “It’s a good way to hang out with friends and family if they come with.”

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Fishing Association “is committed to the education, conservation, and management of our natural resources while building an understanding of our aquatic ecosystems and science. Our primary goals are to get students involved in the outdoors and to become future ambassadors of our sport through the foundation of spirited competition,” according to the WIFA mission statement.

Marguerite Lanthier can be reached at 906-774-3500, ext. 242, or mlanthier@ironmountaindailynews.com.