NUASF hosts 26th “Get Hooked on Fishing” at Riverside
Staff photo by Ari Selvey Dozens of participants of “Get Hooked on Fishing” crowd the riverside to fish Wednesday at Riverside Park in New Ulm.
Staff photo by Ari Selvey Two young anglers look for a catch during the “Get Hooked on Fishing” Tournament Wednesday at Riverside Park in New Ulm.
Staff photo by Ari Selvey Participants gather around a tank with the day’s catches during the “Get Hooked on Fishing” Tournament Wednesday at Riverside Park in New Ulm.
Staff photo by Ari Selvey Jack Schaefer stands with his mosnster catch during the “Get Hooked on Fishing” Tournament Wednesday at Riverside Park in New Ulm.
Staff photo by Ari Selvey Dozens of participants of “Get Hooked on Fishing” crowd the riverside to fish Wednesday at Riverside Park in New Ulm.
Staff photo by Ari Selvey Two young anglers look for a catch during the “Get Hooked on Fishing” Tournament Wednesday at Riverside Park in New Ulm.
Staff photo by Ari Selvey Participants gather around a tank with the day’s catches during the “Get Hooked on Fishing” Tournament Wednesday at Riverside Park in New Ulm.
Staff photo by Ari Selvey Jack Schaefer stands with his mosnster catch during the “Get Hooked on Fishing” Tournament Wednesday at Riverside Park in New Ulm.
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NEW ULM -- The 26th annual "Get Hooked on Fishing" event was hosted by the New Ulm Area Sport Fishermen (NUASF) on Wednesday, with dozens participants heading down to Riverside Park to fish the Minnesota River for the afternoon.
Over 500 nightcrawlers were donated to NUASF for the event, along with sodas and waters for the participants.
The event was held from 4-7 p.m. and saw good turnout after last year's event had to be adjusted due to high water levels.
The contest started at Clear Lake, but moved to Riverside Park after its popularity outgrew the previous location. Now, participants span the rivers edge for several blocks, looking for the best place for a catch.
One such young angler, Jack Shaefer, hauled in the biggest catch of his fishing career during the contest, reeling in a 7.88-pound carp. Schaefer said he had participated in "Get Hooked on Fishing" for as long as he could remember, and had gotten a fifth-place prize before, but had never caught something like the giant he captured in this year's contest.
While Schaefer was no stranger to fishing, even catching a shark during a trip to Florida earlier this summer, the prize carp was still the largest fish he had ever caught, being about the same lenghth as the shark but weighing more.
Shaefer said that the community and the people that participated in "Get Hooked on Fishing" is what kept him coming back for more.
Along with the fishing, free hot dogs for kids and adults alike were available, and prizes were handed out to the top anglers.