Fishing Club is one of UC High’s newest clubs, aimed at bringing together students who enjoy fishing, and providing a community where students interested in learning about fishing have a chance to do so.
Fishing Club Media and Communications Specialist Senior Will Neffeler discussed how students can get involved with Fishing Club: “We typically host meetings during lunch on specific Fridays in Ms. T’s [Pham] room, 456. On rare exceptions, meetings are moved to Thursdays. We always announce meetings beforehand on our Instagram.”
“At our in-school meetings we talk about fishing techniques, what lakes are being stocked, and what fish have been biting. We discuss where we should go for our meetings outside of school. Often we meet up and go fishing at San Diego Bay, Mission Bay, or the beach,” said Neffeler.
Neffeler reflected on his experience helping start a new club and his hopes for the future of it saying, “As a senior, this is my last year of high school, so I really want to set the club up for success after I graduate. Vice President Chase Sweetman and myself are graduating, and next year the rest of the club’s board graduates. It is imperative to the club’s longevity that we retain current members and attract new underclassmen.”
Fishing Club President Junior Jun Panuga shared his experience leading the club in its first year. “I didn’t really expect much when we first started the club, but to say we surpassed expectations would be an understatement. A lot of people were surprised to find out we were starting a fishing club, but we have a good core of guys who like to fish and have the knowledge to teach people who are interested in learning about fishing,” said Panuga.
“Next year the goal is to get more people to come to our off campus meetings, and get more people who aren’t big into fishing to give it a shot,” said Panuga.
Panuga explained how the club supports newcomers. He said, “The club isn’t just for avid fishermen. Even if someone has never fished before, or they don’t have any equipment, we would still love it if they came to a meeting. We have extra gear and plenty of guys who can teach them the basics and guide them along.”