Club founder Phillip Brady fishing on James Lake on May 11.

As the weather improves throughout the end of the school year, a new club dedicated to the sport and lifestyle of fishing has become popular at Princess Anne. Started by junior Philip Brady, the club meets every Monday in room 334, sharing tips and experiences from the world of fishing. 

According to Brady, he created the club in order to “find a group of people to connect with” and “create a community for people who liked the outdoors lifestyle and fishing.” The club consists of both experienced fishers and beginners, with Brady calling the makeup of the club “a fifty-fifty split.” 

The average meeting starts with trivia games, where members are rewarded for knowing types of fishing, species of fish, and aspects of fishing equipment. Over the span of One Lunch, the club discusses fundraising plans and future field trips, in which they go and fish at a local body of water. Composed of students from a variety of grade levels, the club is diverse, yet at the same time united over a common love of the outdoors.

On May 11, the club took a trip to Lake James in southern Virginia Beach. Brady described how the club prepared, mentioning that “we put up maps on the wall showing underwater structure and spots where fishing would be good.” As a private lake where fishing licenses are not required, all members of the club were able to fish, even if they had to borrow some equipment. Afterwards, the club enjoyed a cookout while reminiscing about the afternoon.

Before joining the club, junior Guerau Casado-Ayats had gone fishing just once, and had caught no more than “a tire and a jellyfish.” He described his experience in the club as “learning as I went,” explaining that he learned how to switch baits and cast a rod, and if a fish bites, “how to reel it back in without losing it.” Casado-Ayats described the “good environment” at the Lake James field trip, despite the club not catching many fish.

As junior Tim Wagener put it, the club’s general environment is “very friendly, and very welcoming.” He added, “I know a bunch of my friends here, but there’s a lot of strangers I hope I’ll get to know as the club progresses.” Similarly, Casado-Ayats mentioned how the club has “a lot of people who are sociable and just fun to be around.” 

Members of the club come for the friendly environment, but also remarked on the positive nature of fishing itself. Wagener says he found fishing “very peaceful,” adding that “it allows you to think and relax.” 

In the future, the club plans to have additional field trips to build upon the success they’ve had this year in recruiting members. According to Brady, a future meeting will “focus on seeing who needs a fishing license,” a step towards the club broadening its range of fishing spots by ensuring its members are eligible to fish in public waters. 

But as Brady describes it, the hard part of starting the club is over. “In the past 70 years at Princess Anne, there hasn’t been a fishing club, and [establishing one] has been great,” he said.