By Barry Engelhardt

Jasper County junior Lain Burgerner says that while he’s fished throughout his life, it quickly became a daily activity once the COVID-19 pandemic shut down school. Fishing soon became a daily escape, a way for him and his neighbor and Jasper County senior Ian Fehrenbacher to spend time outdoors and learn from one another. Today, Lain and Ian continue to fish together, representing Jasper County’s high school fishing team.

Lain shares that approximately fifteen kids are on Jasper County’s High School team. Many also compete across the state through ICAST. While in years past, if you didn’t own a boat, you could partner with someone who did, he shares that everyone on the team now has their own boat or can borrow one to use. They are typically eight to nine boats representing Jasper County High School as they host five tournaments on Newton Lake.

“There’s a lot more to fishing than people think. Before Ian and I went fishing together, I didn’t realize all that went into it,” says Lain. He adds, “A lot of work goes into it. There’s a lot of game planning that goes into it. You must practice; there’s a lot of strategy, game planning, and stuff.”

He shares that, just like life, nothing is guaranteed. While he and his teammates put significant time and effort into preparing for tournaments, you never know what the future holds.

“Sometimes that next day can be a bust,” suggests Lain with a shrug before adding, “Typically, it pays off for you. It just takes lots of practice and accuracy.”

Lain thinks it’s a mixture of experience and luck, gear and skill that separates good fishermen from great fishermen. His preparation will soon pay off. He anticipates attending Wabash Valley Community College on a fishing scholarship. Still, he admits that he’s conflicted as he wants to work at his family farm, which traces back four generations and continues to grow.

Lain looks up to his father, admiring his work ethic and ability to live off the land. His mom is also a supportive inspiration who runs her own business, as well as helping keep the farm running. Lain also looks up to his fishing partner, Ian, saying he isn’t sure where he’d be if they hadn’t spent so much time fishing and learning from one another.

If Lain chooses to attend college, he will likely study agriculture and business. He quit participating in sports—other than fishing—a couple of years ago to focus on fishing and farming. He prefers welding and agriculture classes to reading and math and prefers working with his hands.

When Lain looks back on his time in high school, he says it’s the simple pleasures he’ll remember most. Time spent pond hopping and tournament traveling. And especially the conversations and lifelong friendships he built as a result. He smiles as he closes out, adding, ‘Just a lot of good memories.’