---

Nick Kavanagh and Jacob Metz proudly represented the Chisago Lakes Area on the national stage on August 1-3 in Dayton, TN.

The pair of 16 year olds had qualified the year before at the Minnesota State Tournament on Gull Lake for the  Strike King Bassmaster High School National Championship on Chickamauga Lake in Tennessee, and it was finally time for them to show off their talents earlier this month.

The boys have only been fishing together for two years, but they’ve both spent much of their life with a line dipped in the local waters.

Metz, who is the son of Dennis and Marianne Metz of Lindstrom, is a lifelong resident of the Lakes Area, having grown up in Shafer and then calling Lindstrom home for the last handful of years. “I’ve always fished with my dad,” Metz said. “He was taking me out when I was really young.” 

Between eighth and ninth grade, Metz experienced his first bass tournament, and he was hooked, pun intended. “That's when I really started to get into fishing, and bass fishing specifically.”

Kavanagh had a similar experience. The Shafer native, who is the son of Laura and Todd Kavanagh, fished with his father when he was young, but his grandparents  live on South Center Lake, so he spent a lot of time at the end of the dock, seeing what he could catch in the summer. He also started fishing with the Chisago Lakes Fishing Team between eighth and ninth grade, and that was the start of his competitive fishing career.

Both of the boys noted that the Centers are their favorite lakes to fish. Kavanagh because he grew up on it, and Metz because “there are a lot of big fish in there,” he said.

At last year’s state tournament on Gull Lake, the duo finished in fourth place, which led them to the national tournament in early August. Throughout the build up, Metz and Kavanagh received generous help from sponsors to allow them to make the trip, including the Chisago Lakes Bass Fishing League, Lakes Veterinary in Lindstrom, Marine Dock & Lift in Center City, and St. Croix Outdoors, First Resource Bank and The Patriot’s Den, out of Wisconsin.

The pair hit the water  Thursday, August 1 and Friday, August 3, and they were among nearly 300 boats on the water. Only the top 12 qualified for the third day, and the CL group, who was led by captain Greg Lindblom, didn’t make that third day. 

Both Kavanagh and Metz said the fishing down there was very different. “We found big fish while practicing, but when we went back out during the competition, they weren’t that size,” Metz said. Kavanagh added, “They move down on the river, they just hop in the current and drift a few miles away and it can be hard to relocate.” Metz also said that because the lake is on a reservoir, ledges go from five to 30 feet almost instantly, and that’s a feature they just aren’t used to seeing fishing up here.

The two ended up with three fish in their boat over the two days, and the combined total was 5 pounds and 10 ounces. It put them in 206th place out of 250 boats, but they had plenty to be happy about still.  “I really enjoyed new fishing like that. It’s something I’ve never really done,” Kavanagh said. “And seeing 250 boats on blast off was a cool sight.” Metz chimed in, saying, “It was a super fun week. Being able to be in that position to have a chance to win is always fun, and we always just have a good time in the boat,” Metz noted.

Both the boys were very complimentary of each other, and both raved about their experiences with Lindblom, who also happens to be Metz’ grandpa’s brother. “Nick has helped me a lot and knew more about bass fishing when we first started, so I think he has helped me learn. Greg has been the life of the boat. He’s a super good coach and shows us how to do different things and how it works. It’s been super awesome to share the boat with them and to learn from Greg is a super special experience.”

“Jacob is a really good partner. It was only our second year together, but it’s gone great,” Kavanagh added. “Greg is the best captain we could ever have. He teaches us a lot and shows us everything he knows.”

Lindblom said he is fortunate to be teamed up with the two boys. After the tournament, he posted about their experience, saying, ““Nick and Jacob fished their hearts out. I’m super proud of these guys and even though the results were less than expected, Nick and Jacob represented Chisago Lakes and Minnesota very well!”

Despite the event just ending in early August, the journey to next year’s national tournament is already underway. Kavanagh and Metz won a qualifier to the Minnesota State Tournament just one week after returning from Tennessee. If they can finish high enough at state, which is on Lake Pepin on the Mississippi River near Wabasha September 7-8, they would qualify for next year’s national tournament and have a chance to get back down south. “Our goal is to do good enough to be able to get back to nationals and get some redemption,” Kavanagh said.

---