CAMDEN, SC (WIS) - Most of us see fishing as a way to get out of the house and relax for a while, but soon some high school students could see it as a varsity sport.
The halls of Camden High School are filled with trophies for track, football and baseball, but nowhere will you see one with a little guy holding a fishing rod. Not yet anyway.
Members of the school's fishing club think it's an awesome ideal to implement fishing as a sport.
"It's not just throwing bait out and reeling it in," said one of the members. "You have to know everything you're doing."
Some members say to fish, you have to be pretty smart about what you do and where you cast and the equipment you use.
Students are happy to hear the Department of Natural Resources and the South Carolina Bass Federation are pushing to make Bass Fishing a varsity sport. If DNR can get a few more schools to sign up, then they'll have enough to petition the state High School League.
"Nationwide, we're seeing a downward trend of hunting and fishing participation. Now we're trying different methods to bring more anglers on board," said DNR's Lorianne Riggin.
According to Riggin, she'll need 16 schools to sign up to start the process. Riggin says she already has 12 on board and more on the way.
"Hopefully, with these bass fishing clubs, they'll get hooked right there in that middle and high school age and they can do that the rest of their life," said Riggin.
DNR hopes to have the sport approved within a year.
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