One team in EPG is often overlooked more than others. Members of this niche group, instead of training their athleticism, train their outdoor skills. One outdoor skill in particular, fishing. That’s right, the EPG Bass Fishing Team, one of the most unique teams at EPG.
According to Ezekiel “Zeke” Gaddy, the main thing the Bass Fishing Team does during practice and competition is “fishing.” When asked what was the main thing that they caught, he replied “bass.” Zeke is by far the most dedicated on the team, devoting 30-40 hours a week feeding his fishing addiction. Competitors on the bass fishing team are only allowed to catch smallmouth and largemouth bass. So, if some lucky fisherman caught a 15-pound northern pike, it would not count. If an unlucky fisherman caught a shark (who knows? maybe he was fishing in an aquarium) that weighed 2000 pounds, it would still not count. Even striped bass don’t count in competition because they’re considered a hybrid.
Bass Fishing is an individual and a team sport. Most meets don’t have any team awards until sectionals and state. They compete by riding on boats with three people: two students and one adult captain/coach. This is because they don’t allow high school students, no matter how talented they are, to drive a boat at a tournament. To think that they wouldn’t allow a group of high schoolers to control a several-thousand-dollar object! Very strange move indeed. At sectionals and state, four high schoolers are on a team, with two fishing at a time. Halfway through the tournament, they switch. In most tournaments, there is a competition to see who catches the biggest bass by weight. There is also a competition to see which boat catches the five heaviest bass. Generally, tournaments begin at 6 am and last until 2 pm.
The EPG team has had state qualifiers in the past. Zeke, however, still remembers a disappointing sectional finish two years ago. EPG’s team was in the midst of switching students, and the captain decided to show off one of their fish. Unfortunately, the fish jumped into the lake. The fish was retrieved, but an official from a different team saw it and said that the fish would be “under review.” Later, the officials disqualified not the fish that jumped into the lake, but the biggest fish that the team caught. That was enough to drop them from 1st place to 4th place. And, only the top three advance. It was later learned that the official from another team was from the team that got 3rd, so they wouldn’t have made it to state without that disqualification. A little fishy, innit? Last year, the team also suffered a painful defeat, missing state by a heartbreaking 0.01 pounds. Soul crushing.
This year, however, they are certain to win sectionals. With several talented seniors (Zeke, Noah Henderson, and Nolan Whitman) and their coach (Jarrin Landrus), the EPG bass fishers are ready to lure in a state championship. The team will compete in at least six tournaments this season, their first being this Saturday at Clinton Lake.
