AJ Arneson caught a 5.7 pound, 21.25 inches long Largemouth bass, the 2nd largest fish caught that day, on Sleepy Eye Lake Sunday, June 7 in a virtual fishing tournament put on by the Student Angler Federation in Minnesota.
AJ, who will be a senior next school year at Sleepy Eye Public High School, along with 8 other Sleepy Eye Public School anglers took to the lake for their first fishing club tournament through the Student Angler Federation. The other student anglers are Jack Nelson, Kadon Strong, Jake Price, Arian Saenz, Erizen Traconis , Matthew Sellner, Jackson Huiras, and Jacob Schultz.
The fishing tournament had over 250 teams registered and 500 registered fishermen and women. The tournament was virtual due to the pandemic. Anglers fished on any lake or river they chose by boat, kayak, or on shore. They took photos of their fish and submitted them through an app to the judges.
The Student Angler Federation program is an educational program designed to introduce students to fishing and to show students the ever increasing career and educational opportunities through fishing. It also shows students how the basic elements of their education are used by tournament anglers every day out on the water and how you can use fishing and having fun to sharpen those basic skills that will help you later in life no matter what your career choice.
Fishing is a great lifetime hobby and is a growing high school sport across Minnesota. AJ would love to see the sport of fishing added to high school athletic programs in area schools sometime in the future. If you would like more information about Student Angler Federation and interested in joining the fishing club, contact AJ Arneson at 507-766-9728 or email him at allenarneson82gmail.com.