Indee Bass Club Finishes up the 2024 Season

(Written for the Independence Bulletin Journal) 

Jackson Beatty is the 2024
Indee Bass Club Angler of the Year

Another bass fishing season has come and gone for the Indee Bass Club.  This club was started back in 2017, it is hard to believe that this group has been getting kids out on the water for eight years.  Volunteer Coach Todd Reed has been there for every step of this journey for the area club.  "Each and every year has brought many opportunities for kids to learn about the sport of bass fishing, safety, DNR laws, tournament strategies, rod/reels, baits, tackle and fishing techniques.  The monthly meetings are informative and allows the student led club to vote on where they want to fish tournaments throughout the year.  Eight years, countless meetings, a dozen or so seminars, and thirty youth club tournaments, I'm almost done with the planning for the 2025 season."  said Coach Reed.  I guess time really does fly when you are fishing and having fun.

As the 2024 year came to an end the annual bass club banquet took place to look back at the year in fishing and celebrate the many accomplishments of the students.  This years' banquet had a record crowd of kids, parents, family members and captains in attendance.  The banquet started off with cookies and milk for the crowd to enjoy.  Soon after the awards began.  Coach Keith Donnelly started the awards off by honoring five captains.  Randy Toale, Dave Wilson, Brian Miller, Todd Reed and Dan Sweeney were given the "Captain's Cup", honoring any captain who has helped at ten or more events.  The bass club had 19 volunteer captains this year helping at our 5 different events.  Without the volunteer captains many students would not be able to fish in the tournaments.  After this the 2024 Limit Medals were given out.  These are earned by students who catch a limit or bass during a club tournament.  Each tournament has a maximum number of bass each team can bring in to the scales, either three or five bass.  This accomplishment is not an easy task, but was earned by the following group of students: Colton Cameron, Carter Eddy, Keegan King, Will Clark, Aiden Svoboda, Christian Simmons, Cal Sweeney, Gable Eddy, Ranger Reed, and Jackson Beatty.  

The awards continued with the Big Bass Award, this is given to the student that weighed in the largest bass over the entire year.  The 2024 Big Bass Award went to Cal Sweeney, he caught a 4.70 pound largemouth bass at the Okoboji Lakes in April.  Next up were the awards to the top three anglers in the club.  Each event that anglers fish they can earn up to 10 points for winning the event.  Nine points for second, eight points for third and all the way down to 1 point.  At the end of the year the points are tabulated, and the Angler of Year is crowned.  This year, Gable Eddy, winning two events and taking second in another took third place in the standings.  Ranger Reed was the Runner-Up angler, he won one event, came in second once, and placed third two times.  Jackson Beatty was crowned the 2024 Indee Bass Club Angler of the Year.  Jackson won two events and placed second in the other two events...what a year!  The Angler of the Year award has been given out for the past four years, each to a different angler; in 2021 Jackson Toale won, in 2022 Ranger Reed, in 2023 Colton Cameron, and now yet another student Jackson Beatty.  Who will it be in 2025...the schedule awaits and it is up for grabs starting in April.  

The Indee Bass Club is open to any student in the Independence Community School District.  It is free for students to participate in the events, including the state tournament.  Sponsors of the club make the entries free to students, as well as all the awards and fishing gear handed out during the season.  Sponsors include: Colony Heating/AC, Klever Concrete, Tim Reed State Farm, BankIowa, Hilltop Motors, Shay's Minn Kota, RONA Memorial, Cy&Charleys, Buchanan County Wildlife Association, SCHEELS of Cedar Falls, Hank's Bait and Tackle, Lew's Fishing, Strike King Lures, The Rod Glove, Hot Rod Baits, X-Zone Lures.   More information can be found on the club website, Facebook or Instagram.

Big Bass of the Year