In high school you get all of your basic sports, basketball, football, baseball, XC, and track. If you’re lucky enough you occasionally get a golf, tennis, or dance team. One thing however most high schoolers don’t find themselves competing in is fishing. 

CCAHS’s very own Zane Smith, a senior, enjoys fishing outside of school, but as well as competing with other high schoolers across the country. He was the state champion of the Eastern Iowa Bassmasters competition, and a qualifier for the national championship in Kentucky. 

Smith said he started fishing at a very young age, but his interest really didn’t peak until his teenage years. 

“I think I started fishing around this time because all of my friends were also becoming more interested in fishing. Fishing with my friend group became increasingly popular as several people became more interested in going out and fishing day after day,” Smith said. “It remained this way for a while up until the end of middle school. It was then I could see my friends’ interest for fishing begin to fade and it wasn’t long before I was the only one left with any intention to fish.”

As soon as most of his friends started losing interest, Smith could feel himself losing hope, but that is when he found out about the Bassmasters competition. Most of his friends he mentioned are still great ones until this day, but he is glad he found such a great environment to be in with others that have common interests just like him. 

“What drives me to compete in my tournaments is performing the best I can based on my skill and knowledge that I have worked so hard to accumulate,” commented Smith. “I am also driven by displaying the amount of work I put into this sport so that others will acknowledge how far I have come and how much I have grown.”

Even though Smith says he didn’t end up “doing so hot” down in Kentucky, he was still proud of how far he had come and what he had accomplished so far. He is excited to see what the future holds. 

“In the heat of competition my primary goal is to surpass my competitors and come out on top, but second to that is learning new skills and methods to better my performance on the water. The impact that comes from this is actually positive because I’m always finding different ways to come out on top or at the very least be better than I was yesterday.”

Outside of his academics Smith finds himself hunting, spending time with family and friends, traveling, and playing games. Smith is also a member of the Eastern Iowa Bassmasters club which provides him with many opportunities such as competing in exclusive tournaments, making new friends, charity events, local clean ups, fundraisers, and much more. Smith says this is what he invests most of his time and he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“I would say [who influenced me the most] has been a combination of my family and friends who have motivated me. Without them I would have undoubtedly given up a long time ago. Thanks to them I have been able to feel confident enough with my skills to compete in my tournaments.”