Juniors bring allure of fishing to Mac, cast nets for broader membership

Juniors Sam Stone and Reace Lane have known each other since kindergarten, which is about how long each of them has been fishing.

“We have just always been friends,” Stone said. “We both love to spend time outdoors fishing and hunting and have spent a lot of time doing those things, especially because our families like it a lot too.”

Because of their shared interests, the two friends decided to create a fishing community at school, in the form of McCallum Bass Fishing Club. With the help of sponsor and special education teacher Chris Watson, the club went on its first expedition to Lady Bird Lake on April 14. Senior JB Faught caught the first fish; Watson, the second.

“I’ve never been a part of a fishing club,” Watson said. “I’ve always gone with family or friends or by myself, but in the club we try to encourage and teach each other. It’s not just me trying to catch the biggest fish possible. It’s less about me now, which is fun.”

While Watson looks at the bigger picture, Stone is looking to the future.

“I got my inspiration [to form the club] after going to Dallas and seeing a poster for the Highland Park High School bass team,” Stone said. “So the main goal of the club is to defeat the Highland Park bass team. There’s also a world championship bass fishing competition, so becoming world champion bass fishers is also the goal.”

Stone’s lofty goals have come one step closer to becoming reality with an unexpected addition to the McCallum Bass Fishing Club family—a vintage 14-foot Starcraft boat from 1968.
“My aunt and uncle in Smithville had this little boat back in the woods, and they wanted to get it off their hands, so I went out to their place on Easter and I picked it up,” Stone said.

Before this boat changed hands, the club had to go out on the lake in kayaks to fish. The kayaks did the job, as the club managed to catch three fish, but they’ll need more substantial boats if they want to enter into tournaments, beat Highland Park, and inevitably become world champions.

“There are some tournaments which require having a boat,” Watson said. “Right now we’re just learning about how tournaments and the rules behind them work.”

The McCallum bass fishers will not be able to compete in these tournaments until next school year, which will give them time to raise funds for some much needed equipment.

“We want to raise enough to get another boat, because you can’t fit everyone in one boat,” Stone said. “We also need motors. Purchasing boats and motors is the No. 1 priority for the club because they’re the most expensive necessities.”

Stone and Lane first considered hosting a bake sale to get the money they need for equipment, but in the end they settled on selling cuisine that fit seamlessly into the theme of fishing: crawfish.

“We’re going to try to do a crawfish boil at some point,” Stone said. “It would be an event separate from school, towards the end of school, definitely in May.”

The club members are planning on cooking the crawfish themselves, but they aren’t planning on cooking the fish they catch.

“I don’t see us keeping any fish,” Stone said. “We are especially into conservation and definitely will not keep any freshwater fish unless we specifically plan a trip to eat some. If we go to the coast we might decide to eat some of our catch, given they are legal to keep based of Texas Parks & Wildlife restrictions. But I don’t know why you would keep fish and not eat them.”

Students are welcome and encouraged to join the McCallum Bass Fishing Club and to participate in fundraising activities. For information about joining the club, talk to Sam Stone or Reace Lane.