Fishing for the fun of it

Oilver Stekonek reels in high honors as Sun City Anglers’ Fisherman of the Year

SUN CITY – Even if the fish aren’t biting, Oliver Stekonek still finds the art of fishing quite relaxing. As long as it is not too cold out.

“It’s just peaceful being out there for four or five hours, waiting for the fish to come to you,” he said, “especially if you’re with others. It’s just quality time chatting, talking about fishing. What’s better than that?”

The Sun City resident, who hails from northern Wisconsin and has been fishing “all my life,” was named earlier this month as the Sun City Anglers’ Fisherman of the Year – an honor he was “very, very surprised about.”

“We have a lot of good fishermen in this group. This honor is the last thing I ever thought about, even less competed for it. When my name was called, I could hardly believe it,” he said.

The “Fisherman of the Year” award honors an angler who has achieved success during a season of fishing, judged in several categories – largest fish caught, most number of inches caught, and quantity of bass, northerner, and catfish. The club holds a “catch and release” policy.

The club is split into four groups, and those respective groups each have their own little competitions. Stekonek said rewards for winning those are generally gift cards to Jameson’s.

The Sun City Anglers’ season starts in April, when members gather and go fishing whenever they are free. While ice fishing is available, it is not a club-sponsored outing, and Stekonek has not gone ice fishing for a number of years.

“I had an accident some years back with a snowblower to where I just don’t go out in that weather anymore. That and the cold gets to me easily,” he said. “I know some people who still do, but you’ll never find me out there.”

During the winter months, the group invites special guests for lectures or question-and-answer segments.

Winning the award does not disqualify Stekonek from competing for it again – something he is looking forward to in April.

“I’ll definitely keep my sights on it, but it won’t be a season where that’s all I’ll focus on. I love to fish. That’s what this group is about: people gathering together who love to fish. My main goal is to enjoy fishing, and I have been for a long time,” he said.

“I can’t wait for spring to come so I can spend as much time on the lake as possible. I usually spend upwards of five hours at a time, but depending on the situation, it could be longer or shorter.”

On average, he said, Stekonek can wrangle up about three or four fish that meet the group’s requirements. If he catches a fish that falls outside the spectrum, though, it is still “a learning experience.”

“You get better with each fish you catch, regardless of how much experience you have going into it,” he said.

While he has been able to make friends with many in the group, Stekonek mentioned the Sun City Anglers are always looking for members interested in fishing.

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