Striperz Gone Wild, giving back one tackle box at a time
‘Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth.’ - Roberto Clemente
In just a few short years, the internet fishing group, Striperz Gone Wild (SGW), has grown from a small group of dedicated anglers fishing the California Aqueduct and surrounding canals to more than 6,000 followers, demonstrating the rapidly growing interest in fishing close to home in the Central Valley. Most importantly, the group is committed to creating opportunities for young anglers along with giving back to communities.
Aqueduct fishing is a great way to introduce anglers to the sport as the only expenses are the cost of bait and/or lures along with an initial investment in gear. After starting at the aqueducts, many anglers move on to other fishing opportunities, purchasing kayaks, power boats, or taking charter trips.
Bill Sterling is one of the primary organizers of the group, and he said, the group held their fourth annual holiday tournament this past Saturday on the California Aqueduct at Volta Road with 146 entrants, collecting 377 toys for needy youth in the Los Banos area.
Instead of charging an entry fee, the group collected unwrapped toys during the holiday season.
“Our first year, we collected 94 toys, followed by 130, then 165, and we doubled that this year,” he said.
The toys will be distributed at the Plaza in Los Banos on Dec. 22 to families completing a survey demonstrating need.
“It’s a lot of work along with personal expense to make something like this happen, but every time I see the smiles on the kids, I say to myself, it’s all worth it,” Sterling said.
A mission of the group is to provide a free tackle box with starter gear to every youth, and so far, they have been able to give out hundreds of tackle boxes.
The smile on the kids’ faces as they carry out a new tackle box is larger than the box itself, Sterling said.
This last tournament was one of our best thanks to our administrators: Frank Azevedo, Migz Padilla, Scott Lemos, Mark Hale, and Jose Pena Sr. who arrived before 4:00 a.m. to set up our stations. There was also a photo backdrop from David Leon who came up from Corcoran to volunteer to take everyone’s photo.
Each entrant received a raffle ticket, and $1,500 worth of gear purchased from Central Valley Bait and Tackle in Modesto was distributed.
“We like to support local businesses,” he said.
Santa and the Grinch also made appearances.
“Our goal is to continue to grow the event and attract more children and families to fish the aqueduct,” Sterling said.
SGW holds three tournaments a year, a fall appreciation tournament, the holiday event, and the Hailey Lauchland Memorial tournament tentatively scheduled for April 6.
The entry fee to the Lauchland tournament is canned food, and over the past three years, the club has donated more than 6,000 cans to programs within Merced County. Despite its fertile land blossoming with crops, Merced County has a food insecurity rate of 27.3%, the third highest in the nation, according to the Merced County Food Bank. SGW has assisted in the City of Gustine’s annual youth fishing derby, distributing tackle boxes, and helping youth with tackle and techniques.
In a world where so many are just interested in taking, this group of dedicated anglers is all about giving back.
For more information on Striperz Gone Wild, contact Bill C Sterling at (559) 213-9683, SGW on Facebook, or Striperz Gone Wild on Instagram.
Dave Hurley is a longtime educator, fishing writer and member of the California Outdoors Hall of Fame.
