Fishing for titles
Owatonna’s Ethan Ward and Morgan Hansen show off their catch during a tournament this season. The two anglers qualified for the TOC in their first tournament this season by taking first place. Submitted photo
Owatonna varsity anglers have been working hard all summer to punch their ticket to the annual Tournament of Champions (TOC.)
As the season finale approaches on Aug. 4 at Big Stone Lake, Owatonna will be well-represented by six anglers with the potential for more.
In the team’s first event of the season on May 19 on the Mississippi River, anglers Ethan Ward and Morgan Hansen reeled in first place by catching 27 pounds of bass and punching their ticket to the TOC.
The team then traveled to Lake Le Homme Dieu on June 9, but were unable to qualify any more anglers for the TOC after Owen Moore and Devin Jirele placed 29th with 15 pounds of fish.
However, the team rebounded well qualifying six more anglers for the TOC during a big day on the Whitefish Chain just two weeks later.
Ward and Hansen led the team by taking 19th place, but were closely followed by teammates Caleb and Braxton Ringhofer in 26th, and Quinn Gare and Tanner Milewski in 28th.
The positions secured by the latter two teams qualified them for the TOC where they will join Ward and Hansen.
The team has just two more upcoming events before the TOC, and will be fishing on Mille Lacs July 27-28.
The two days will be separate events with no carryover in between.