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It was a dicey call; moving the First Annual Chisago Lakes School District Fishing Tournament out beyond Halloween. But the weather couldn't have been any better and the bass were certainly biting...making the maiden offering of this unique fishing tournament a huge success.

In fact Andrew Raboin and Tyler Scheil can't wait to do it again.

Raboin and Scheil, just high school seniors themselves, organized this tourney specifically for youth. They had 15 boats carrying fishing parties out onto North and South Center Lakes Nov. 2. Contestants were of ages between sixth and 12th grade. Many hadn't done much fishing at all, and a couple were pulling in bass for the first time.

The professional bass fishing circuit has been good to Raboin, he explained, and so he wanted to give back to the sport.

He decided to do this local contest, "...so kids could participate and get the feeling of being in a real professional fishing tournament but at less cost and trouble," Raboin explained.

Weeks ago, he and Scheil got the idea to put together a bass tourney. The format was affiliated with the DECCA chapter at Chisago Lakes High School as a sponsoring organization. After all the expenses were covered and tourney registration money redistributed in prizes, the chapter netted about $80.

Raboin said Chisago Lakes National Honor Society students put in a lot of effort too.

Raboin has probably won hundreds of dollars of goods and cash participating in fishing events this year, and he wanted to give other young fishermen the chance to enjoy what he has such a passion for.

The sponsors of this first annual event were the main reason this all came together so well, he added:

~ Bruce Fagan allowed the use of Whispering Bay for the weigh in ceremonies.

~ Jeff Vitali (Gardner Sales Assoc.) was very instrumental in getting prizes and volunteers to fish with the entrants.

~ Chisago Hardware allowed the use of "several hundred dollars worth of stuff" Raboin said, including a trailer.

~ Frankie's in Chisago City donated goods for prizes and allowed the use of the boat storage building for a pre-event planning dinner.

~ The U.S. Army donated water bottles and other items.

~ Red Bull came through with enough beverages for all.

~ Dave Berg also lent financial support.

~ Rob Keller (Warner's Dock) was also a big contributor.

Each entrant or dual entry was partnered with an expert fisherman, and these guys also volunteered their time.

The boats ranged from high end glitzy bass boats to aluminum two-seaters, Raboin commented, but "...just about everybody walked away with some kind of prize,and everyone seemed to have a really good time."

The bass were cooperative and the weather was terrific. Raboin had worried at first because he'd postponed the event from the weekend before, due to windy conditions.

Raboin said the concept was all about giving kids a chance to learnabout and experience fishing and giving them an opportunity to inexpensively compete. At the same time they learned about tournament rules and got valuable fishing advice. Raboin and Scheil learned something too. This community is right there when it comes to a good idea and pitching in to make things happen.

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