Local Video
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| Fish-A-Thon headed to Northfield |
By: Jeff Wald, Sports Editor
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Posted: Tuesday, September 8, 2009 10:38 pm
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NORTHFIELD — Andre Xiong fell in love with fishing at an early age.
It has turned into a profession now that the St. Paul native has become a fishing instructor with the Dakota County Park and Recreation board. Xiong, 25, would travel to Northfield every so often as a kid to fish in the Cannon River.
Since last spring, he’s been to town at least once a week. It’s all in preparation for Sept. 18-19, where he’ll fish with his wife, Xuoa, and cousin, Nhia, for 24 straight hours. The event the group is in is called the “24-Hour Fish-A-Thon,” and it’s sponsored by Recycled Fish.
It’s a national program designed to raise awareness for the problems facing rivers, streams and lakes.
“It’s our first time trying it,” Xiong said. “We’re trying to get the word out about pollution in lakes, fertilizers, issues with fishing. It’s exciting, because there’s a lot of little things people can do to keep lakes and rivers clean.”
Xiong originally got permission to do the Fish-A-Thon back in the spring from the city of Northfield. He went through all the necessary paperwork with Brian Erickson, the city’s Public Works Operations Engineer.
That’s when his thought of fishing for 24 hours straight became a reality. Northfield became his place to fish because it’s away from the rush of the city and it’s where he can be at peace with the water.
“I like to go out, relax and just fish,” Xiong said. “I didn’t want to fish in the cities because I’ve always thought you want to be away from town to fish.”
Xiong, his wife and cousin plan to fish somewhere near Ames Park. He said he has previously fished in that park, over by Carleton College and also in Cannon Falls.
Their group will be one of 10 teams across the nation in the competition. They are also one of three teams in Minnesota. They keep as many as five fish that they have to capture on camera and measure. Prizes will go to the team that raises the most money, and the team that has the highest score on the Angling Masters International Calculator.
“There really won’t be anybody watching us, so it’s kind of an honor system,” Xiong said. “It’ll be a test. We’ve never fished for that long before.”
According to the event’s Web site, www.recycledfish.org, “Our lakes, streams and seas are in trouble. It is the result of many things, from over-consuming water to over-harvest of fish to pollution to invasive species. Many of the main issues come from problems in our broader environment because our lifestyle runs downstream.”
It also says anglers are the first to notice because they spend the time on the water observing nature.
“Problems in our environment often show up first in our waters — it all runs downstream. We’re doing something about it with the 24 Hour Fish-A-Thon. We’re standing up as not just users of our natural resources, but as stewards. We’re raising the flag for simple things anybody can do to ensure healthy waters for fish and wildlife — and for each of us,” the Web site says.
Teeg Stouffer is the tournament’s director and emphasized what Recycled Fish is all about.
“Anglers living a lifestyle of stewardship both on and off the water, because our lifestyle runs downstream,” Stouffer said in an e-mail.
As a kid, Xiong said he got into fishing because of the sport aspect of it.
“You’re trying to outsmart it to catch it. It’s a creature that fights you,” Xiong said. “Most people connect with nature through fishing. You like and respect what you catch.”
Every angler will be practicing catch and release, cleaning up the areas they are fishing in, using SAFE Angling gear like single barbless hooks and non-toxic lead alternative weights. This is about more than fishing, it’s about leaving something great for generations to come.
In the tournament, Xiong said he will be mainly looking for carp and catfish in the Cannon River. He’s more excited about raising awareness for area rivers and lakes.
“I’ve created a lot of memories with friends through fishing,” Xiong said. “We need to make sure we take care of the environment.”
— Jeff Wald covers local sports. He can be reached at 645-1111 or jwald@northfieldnews.com. |
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