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51ƷStudents Grow Ranks of Women Anglers
Having a campus beside the Maine coast helps, but the students behind Hooked on 51Ʒhave worked to make the club more welcoming and diverse
There are not many colleges or universities in the nation that enable students to fish right from campus for striped bass, or any other popular gamefish for that matter. But at the 51Ʒ, the members of the fishing club enjoy this perk before morning classes, during their lunch break, and even after dark.
However, what is most unusual about the University's fishing club — called Hooked on 51Ʒ— is its growing ranks of women members.
At the University, roughly half of the club’s current members — or 35 out of 68 students — are women. The club was even founded by a woman in 2019: Kaylee Townsend, B.S. ’21 (Medical Biology and English). And, this year, two of the officers in the all-comers club are women.
“I think it's really neat to have a hobby you can do with a community, or it can be something you go out and do on your own. There are people in the club who are advanced fishers, and those who are new to it,” said Amelia Burbidge (Medical Biology, ’27), one of the club’s women anglers who joined last year.
The female-fishers movement at 51Ʒmirrors a national trend that has seen a growing number of women pick up a rod and reel in the past 10 years. Today 31% (or 12.5 million) of freshwater anglers in the United States are women, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
But UNE’s current fishing renaissance may be unusual at the college level. According to the Association of Collegiate Anglers, women make up less than 3% of the competitive anglers who compete in their bass-fishing tournaments.
The shift at 51Ʒfrom a mostly male fishing club to one that draws more women started three years ago when the club’s current president, Evan Kamoen (Marine Sciences, ’25), wanted to make the club more appealing to all skill levels.
Kamoen, who grew up an avid angler near the Connecticut coast, worked in high school at a tackle shop and competed in bass fishing tournaments. But that’s not what he wanted his school’s fishing club to be. Kamoen wanted it to be a no-pressure place where anglers of all abilities had fun together. So Kamoen looked for enthusiastic club officers to help him recruit more students to the club.
What he found was the enthusiasm of fishing newbies Grace Kistner (Environmental Sciences, ’27) and Alexis Weaver (Environmental Science, ’26).
“They are a great fit,” Kamoen said. “They’re hardworking, and they get stuff done. And it just happens that they’re women, so more women who are interested in fishing come to club events, maybe people who otherwise wouldn't think of going to a fishing ground. I think it’s super cool.”
The club meets twice a month on Thursday evenings, when they plan upcoming events or teach fishing skills, like tying flies, or fly casting. In September, the club held its first catch-and-release striped bass tournament, which required those who entered to snap a photo of stripers on their phone with the campus in the background. Then, in October, a dozen club members went on a deep-sea fishing trip to fish for groundfish, like Atlantic cod, haddock, and flounder.
“I think a lot of times people think you need to know everything to join this type of club and that’s kind of scary,” Weaver said. “I think it’s great to hear from a club officer who doesn't have a huge fishing background, but is super interested. What’s most important is that the interest is there. I fished very minimally as a kid. It’s really about being in nature for me.”
From its inception, the club officers have focused on conservation lessons, such as teaching how to reduce fish mortality by encouraging more effective catch-and-release methods. Those lessons are encouraged by the club’s faculty advisor, but taught by the students, said Michael Sheldon, PT, Ph.D., associate provost for Academic Affairs, the club’s inaugural advisor, and an avid striper fisherman. Co-advisor Greg LaBonte, an assistant teaching professor in the School of Marine and Environmental Programs and the co-founder of the online conservation forum Maine Fly Guys — also provides assistance.
“This is really all from the students. I just try to help support the events,” Sheldon said.
Watch the action as the Hooked on 51Ʒfishing club casts for stripers from the University’s coastal Maine campus.
Burbidge, who grew up fishing with her family in Colorado, learned about the club by going to its fly-tying class last winter that drew about 20 people, including 51ƷPresident James Herbert and proved a low-pressure way to learn the sport. She immediately signed up for the deep-sea fishing trip held last spring.
That hooked her. Now Burbidge rents gear from the University’s outdoor gear locker and goes striper fishing regularly during the season, as early as 5:30 a.m. She even brought two of her housemates one morning to let them experience the calm in casting.
“It’s just super peaceful. And it’s just jaw-dropping to me to be by the beach and watch the waves or come in before class in the morning. It sets a really good tone for my day,” Burbidge said.