Reel News November 2017

great club to as many

women anglers as we can.

We will start by attending the

St. Paul Ice Fishing Show the

first weekend in December,

then the Winter Ice Fishing

Trip to the Glacier Lakes area

of South Dakota, to our first

ice fishing tournament that

we are diligently working on.

Th e r e a r e v o l u n t e e r

opportunities for any time

commitment level. Get

involved - you will love every

moment you give to the

organization. We will be

posting our volunteer

oppor tun i t ie s on the

Members Only Facebook

Page! We also have a few

board positions we are

seeking nominations for,

please see the Board

Member Election article for

more information.

I can’t wait to see what 2018

brings for this great club,

thank you for making 2017

an amazing year and looking

forward to an amazing 2018!

-Kristen

Another open water season

begins to end and I reflected

back on another year and

quickly realize it has been one

heck of a year! 2017 brought

the club significant growth.

Our membership has more

than doubled, we had our first

sold out ice fishing trip in quite

some time, we attend the

Northwest Sportshow as an

exhibitor, we celebrated our

4 0 t h A n n u a l F i s h i n g

Tournament and had an

amazing evening honoring the

legacy of our club.

Those are the big milestones,

but we also had many other

milestones such as several

member planned meet-ups,

our annual launch trip, Border

Battle and Fall Trip. So many

things to be thankful for this

year. I am proud to lead such

a great group of women. To

watch the growth of our

angling skills and the formation

of lifelong friendships is an

honor.

After such an amazing year it is

upwards and onwards to

continue to build this great

organization and bring this

The President’s Pen by Kristen Merwin Upcoming Events

December 1-3

Ice Fishing & Winter

Sports Show —

St. Paul, MN

February 2-4

Ice Fishing Trip —

Roslyn, SD

Our Mission Provides opportunities for

women and children to

participate in the sport of

fishing, improve their

fishing skills and to fish for

a variety of species.

W A M p r o v i d e s

opportunities for the

friendly exchange of

ideas and techniques

To educate women and

children about the sport

of fishing and interacting

w i t h t h e n a t u r a l

environment

To support charitable

a n d n o n p r o f i t

organizations dedicated

to the environment and

women and children’s

causes

T o p r o m o t e f u l l

adherence of existing

conservation, boating

and fishing regulations.

To promote responsible

fishing practices

PAGE 2

On Saturday, September 23rd, we were pleased to welcome more than 120 guests to our casino-

themed, 40th Anniversary Party that was generously hosted by the Osseo-Maple Grove Legion. The

evening was a huge success and everyone had a GREAT time mingling with both old and new friends.

We were fortunate enough raise additional funding for the club from the activities that were part of the

evening which included casino games, raffles, and both a live and silent auction. The turnout from

founding WAM members was one of the highlights. It was fun hearing stories from the “good old days”

and it was truly an honor to meet many of the women who started it all 40 years ago. The WAM

memorabilia table was filled with photo albums dating back from the 70’s to present day, old

tournament trophies & apparel, and perhaps the most notable: one member even brought the boat she

won as her prize in a tournament which was proudly displayed outside of the Legion for all to see!

A huge congratulations to all of the well-deserved award winners that were also recognized during the

program: Raelee Johnson (Lifetime Achievement Award), Patty Johnson (Rookie of the Year), and Deb

Samuelson (Member of the Year)

Thank you for everyone who took time out of their schedules to attend and support the club. This event

would not have been possible with all of the volunteers who put in many hours to make everything come

together: Liz & Jeremy Colsen, Kristen Merwin, Diane Westphal, Jean Beisner, Deb Campbell, Corinne

Centa, Cristin Murray, Kris Winkleman, Jennie Halstensen, Erin & Bill Charlton, and Becky and Tim Krouth.

Lastly, I would like to recognize our sponsors: Clam, Cabelas, Geiger’s Trails End Resort and Jay Malone

Motors for attending the event and for their generous support of our mission throughout the year.

40th Anniversary Party - A Huge Success! By Erin Murray

PAGE 3

2018 Board Elections By Emily Schnick

Are you interested in running for a position on the WAM board? This is a great opportunity to get more involved with the club and be a part of our exciting growth!

Board Positions and Job Descriptions:

President: The President shall oversee all operations of the club operations and

relationships. The President shall preside over monthly board meetings, this

includes gathering agenda items from board members and presiding over the

meeting. The President will be a co-signer on the club bank accounts.

Vice President: The Vice President shall collaborate with the President on a

regular basis, preside at meetings in the absence of the President, and must be

available to assist the President as needed with club activities and programing.

These duties include but are not limited to: event and meeting planning,

marketing and publicity initiatives, community outreach, volunteer

coordination and sponsor relations. The Vice President must also assume the

lead role and all of the responsibilities of the Annual Tournament Director.

Secretary: The Secretary shall attend all meetings of the Executive Board and Board of Directors. The

Secretary shall record detailed and accurate minutes of each meeting. The Secretary, in the absence of the

President and Vice President, will be responsible for presiding over the meeting. The Secretary shall keep a

record of all the proceedings of the organization. The Secretary shall keep all copies of Bylaws, lists of

committees, copies of agendas, and results of ballots (including numbers). The Secretary shall handle

correspondence as required.

Treasurer: The Treasurer shall have custody of the corporate funds. The Treasurer shall make books available

for annual review within the Fiscal year to be conducted by two (2) Active Members. The Treasurer shall submit

monthly, and annual reports. The Treasurer shall receive and disburse funds in accordance with the

membership’s approved yearly budget. The Treasurer shall be familiar with bookkeeping/accounting systems

and must keep financial records current and accurate.

Membership: The Membership Director shall keep track of new members. The Membership Director shall

distribute new member material, which includes an email with the Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation,

mailing the new membership packet, and welcome email to welcome new members to the

Organization. The Membership Director shall keep the Newsletter Director up to date on new member

information and changes to any current members. The Membership Director should expect to be present for

promotional events/trade shows

Deadline for submissions is Monday, November 13!

Nominate yourself or someone else who you think would be

a great fit for one of the many positions available!

Continued on Page 4

(Continued from Page 3)

Social: The Social Director shall be responsible for coordinating charitable donations such as rods and reels

and financial donations. The social director will be responsible for the logistics of the BBQ on Thursday of

tournament week and the Holiday Party. This role will also manage the purchasing of rods and reels as well the

storage of them (WAM provided if necessary).

Trips: The Trip Director shall plan the spring, fall, summer and winter weekend trips. The Trip Director shall solicit

ideas from members for types of trips, resorts, etc. The Trip Director shall submit trip information to the

Newsletter Director up to (3) months prior to trip deadline. The Trip Director shall provide complete trip

information to include participants, cabin arrangements, and resort information. The Trip Director shall

promote, advertise and encourage members to join the trip through social media channels and the club

website.

Fundraising: The Fundraiser Director shall organize fundraising activities throughout the year. This includes

staffing volunteers for sales, set-up and tear down of fundraising items and tables. Seek donations from the

community and seek out new ideas for fundraising ideas at future events. Send out donation request letters to

Target and Walmart and coordinate the pick-up of donations. Solicit donation requests via US mail and the

internet for annual fundraising events.

Historian: The Historian Director shall be responsible for maintaining the organization’s past documents. This

includes, but is not limited to: files, videos, pictures and other memorabilia.

Publicity: The Publicity Director shall be responsible for notifying radio, TV and other forms of media of the

Organization’s activities. The Publicity Director shall be responsible for the printing, editing and mailing of the

corporation’s newsletters. The Publicity Director will be responsible for the promotion of the club through social

media pages (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) as well as the maintenance and updating of the club

website.

Northern Regional Director: The Regional Director shall be responsible for organizing area meetings, casual

fishing meet-ups, regional fishing events, etc.

Have Questions or Would Like to Nominate Someone or Yourself?

Please contact me at 651.253.1337 or emilyschnick@msn.com

PAGE 4

WAM at the St. Paul Ice Fishing Expo By Kristen Merwin

We are very excited to announce that WAM will be exhibiting at the St. Paul Ice Show that

will held be at the St. Paul River Center December 1st – 3rd. We will be having a meet up

event on Sunday and hope that you will all come out and show that women are a huge

part of the sport. WAM Members will be giving a seminar on ice fishing tactics and we

want every seat filled at the seminar. This will help us show that women love the sport

which in turn helps us get more sport in the industry. More details will follow on this meet up,

but please mark your calendar for December 3rd and support our members during their

seminar. If you would like to work the booth at the show, please email Kristen Merwin at

president@womenangerlsmn.com.

PAGE 5

Summer & Fall Trip Recaps by Evonne Vaplon and Jean Beisner

As the open water season winds down, it’s time to recap the trips we have had this summer and fall.

It was nice to see new faces on our trips as well as the familiar ones!

On August 19th, a large group of members, friends, and family met at Twin Pines Resort on Lake Mille

Lacs for the summer launch trip. This was a catch and release walleye trip from 6-10PM that

evening. Everyone caught fish and had a great time. The guides were enthusiastic and helpful

which was greatly appreciated and contributed to our success. Vicki Jung caught a 22” walleye,

her new personal best. Congratulations, Vicki!

October 6th-8th was our annual fall trip. We had a small, but enthusiastic group at Riverside Resort

on the Horseshoe Chain of Lakes near Richmond. This is a series of 14 lakes connected by the Sauk

River, which gave us lots of area to explore! The lakes appeared to be in turnover, as evidenced by

all the surface debris and difficult fishing. We did catch a decent amount of panfish which kept

things interesting. We had beautiful weather and fall colors to enjoy as well. A pot luck was

enjoyed by all on Saturday evening. Thanks to everyone who came to fish with us on these trips!

2018 Winter Ice Fishing Trip by Kristen Merwin The registration for the winter ice fishing trip has been posted! Register by going to

www.womenanglersmn.com go to the trip menu and select 2018 Winter Trip.

We are very excited about our ice fishing trip that will be held

at Hidden Hill Lodge in Roslyn, SD. This lodge sits on its own pri-

vate lake holding trophy walleye and is surrounded by great

pan fishing lakes. All skill levels are welcome from an ad-

vanced angler to a beginning angler we accommodate all.

The lodge is beautiful and boasts amenities such as a guest

kitchen where you can make your own meals, to a full service

meal plan where they do all of the work for you. They have a

hot tub on the deck and a game room downstairs. Trip costs

can be as inexpensive as $60 per person if you choose to

share a queen bed, and goes up to $140 per person if you choose a semi private room with 2

twins. All details are on the webpage mentioned above. Please note this trip will sell out as it

did last year. Get your registrations in because it is first come first served. If you do not have

ice fishing equipment we can help, do not let that be a barrier!

Questions on this trip? Please contact Kristen Merwin: president@womenanglersmn.com

Barbara McFadden (Mora, MN)

Jennifer Zeis (Andover, MN)

Samantha Hovden-Marlin (Faribault, MN)

Nancy Bontreger (Minneapolis, MN)

Mugs Chun (Minneapolis, MN)

Tessa Knight (Lino Lakes, MN)

Kim Schmedeke (Lino Lakes, MN)

Connie Erickson (Monticello, MN)

Tracy Bracero (Little Canada, MN)

Aftyn Lliff (Mora, MN)

Traci Waldman (Maple Grove, MN)

NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

WOMEN ANGLERS OF MINNESOTA

6630 Meadowlark Lane

Maple Grove, Minnesota 55369-6043

By Liz Colsen

Find us on Facebook!

Kay Hawley (Edina, MN)

Jennifer Banaszewski (Cannon Falls, MN)

Dawn LaVigne (Minnetonka, MN)

Lindsey Smith (Plymouth, MN)

Jean Pankiewicz (Monticello, MN)

Heather Massie (Richfield, MN)

DeeAnn Edlund (Richfield, MN)

Cynthia Fetzer (Andover, MN)

Barbara Dee (Brook Park, MN)

Megan Waltman (St. Paul, MN)

We would like to give a warm welcome to the following NEW members!