The Helena Middle School Fishing Club has been catching more than fish lately.

Mike Kepler and Cheryl Plettner, advisors to the club, recently threw out a long line hoping to snag some funding to assist the expanding club with quality fishing supplies.

To their surprise, they ended up with the catch of the day, landing funding from the Ted Turner Foundation through the assistance of Lisa Cordingley, executive director of the Helena Education Foundation.

Cordingley managed to work her magic and convince the Turner board of directors that the HMS Fishing Club was a worthy investment. The board agreed to provide funds to purchase fishing equipment for members of the club.

Capital Sports and Western has also agreed to sell fishing equipment to HMS at a discounted price. Kepler and Plettner are stocking up on fishing poles, reels, lures, spinners, lines, nets, ice augers and other tackle needed by the club.

The group is also looking for a used cargo trailer to house the new fishing supplies. The trailer will accompany them on all of their future fishing adventures.

HMS students have enjoyed ice-fishing trips this winter, traveling to the Helena Holding Reservoir and Nevada Creek Reservoir. The next fishing trip for the HMS Fishing Club will take place later this month, allowing students to troll the Missouri for spawning trout at the Gates of the Mountains.

The opportunity will be the first for some of the students to fish from a boat. Club members will try new spinners and lures, which they've made in evening classes. For more information, contact Mike Kepler 324-1063 or Cheryl Plettner 324-1060.