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Zach Wolfe doesn’t remember getting hooked, but has a fishing story that he’ll never forget.
His dad, whose love of fishing predates Wolfe’s birth, tried to get him into the sport since he was tiny, but it took some generational intervention before he took the bait.
“My parents went on a trip to Hawaii when I was six and my grandparents had to come and watch me and my sister,” Wolfe said. “I went fishing a few times with my grandpa and my dad said I’ve been hooked on it ever since and I’ve never slowed down.”
The Mokena resident and recent Lincoln-Way Central graduate will go down to Carson-Newman University in Tennessee this fall to compete for the school’s Eagle Anglers, a university-funded program with numerous accomplishments at the state and national level.
He’ll major in business/marketing, still with an eye toward angling. Wolfe has his heart set on becoming a professional fisherman, but would happily accept an alternative career in the fishing industry.
“A major part of the fishing industry is creating a brand for yourself to gain recognition and sponsorships,” he said. “And that includes public speaking which is why I also plan on minoring in communications.
“The main thing is I want to be in the industry. If I don’t make it professional, I’d be fine working for something like a bait company.”
The fish most certainly have been biting for Wolfe recently after graduating earlier this year. He finished in second place out of 70 competitors in the ICASSTT Clash at the beginning of June and followed that with another runner-up effort in the Illinois B.A.S.S. National Tournament.
“It’s been crazy this summer, but it’s also been a fun month for me,” he said. “And me and my dad just wrapped up our final tournament in Illinois and came in second as well.”
All of these great tournament results have come after Wolfe was recognized as an honorable mention selection on the 2023 Bassmaster High School All-State Fishing Team.
“The goal was to get selected as one of the 12 (members) of the All-American team, but there were a few kids that I know that deserved it over me,” he said. “It still means a lot to me to be recognized as one of the best anglers in the state.”
While Wolfe may have caught the fishing bug around the same time he learned to tie his shoes, he didn’t truly think it could be more than a great hobby until he was a sophomore after his first year of high school was filled with uncertainty due to the pandemic.
“It wasn’t until sophomore year that things began to pick up,” he said. “That spring I won two tournaments within two weeks and I thought, ‘Well, maybe this is something I can do.’ At the time I was still playing golf for the school and I was torn between golf or fishing in college. Winning those tournaments showed me I could do this.”
A trip down to Alabama for the Bassmaster High School Combine during his junior year ultimately led him to Carson-Newman.
“Bassmaster was putting on their first high school combine where you go down to Decatur, Alabama for two days and you get to meet a bunch of college coaches and show off some of your skill sets to them,” he said.
Carson-Newman, based outside of Knoxville, is coming off a third-place finish in the School of the Year race during the 2022-2023 Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. It was the highest end-of-season ranking in program history.
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“The school is just 15 minutes away from two of the best lakes,” Wolfe said. “I think it’s going to help me because the fisheries down south are different than up here and I’ll be able to sharpen my skills.”
Wolfe simply wants to be on the water, honing his skills, catching fish, having fun and hopefully winning big.
“I’ve really gotten to where I’m at by being on the water,” he said. “I’m always learning and finding new things I never thought of, and trying to do new things. I watch stuff on the internet and I can apply that to what I’m doing. And I watch other anglers I’ve met through the tournament trails.”
Recently a fellow angler invited Wolfe down to Newton Lake, southeast of Effingham.
“I knew I could learn a lot so I went down there for two days,” he said. “We fished and hung out with a lot of my other buddies who also fish the tournament trails with us.”
While Wolfe is excited for what college fishing will bring him, he could bring home a national title before he even gets there. He will head to Lake Hartwell, South Carolina, for the Bassmaster Nationals July 23-29.
C.R. Walker is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
