New York junior angler dies

This is not the story you want to read today. Not ever. A promising young man in the B.A.S.S. family died Friday, July 24. He was only 12.

This is not the story you want to read today. Not ever.

A promising young man in the B.A.S.S. family died Friday, July 24. He was only 12.

Joey Eisch was a member of the Good Ole Boys Junior Fishing Club in New York. He volunteered for the New York B.A.S.S. Nation. And you’ve read about his dad right here on Bassmaster.com.

Joey spent his last weekend on this earth helping out the New York team. He assisted with registration on Saturday and with the tournament on Sunday. The photo below is from that tournament.

Five days later, he was gone.

Fred Blom, president of the New York B.A.S.S. Nation, alerted the B.A.S.S. staff.

“The New York B.A.S.S. Nation is in shock and disbelief,” said Blom. “Joey was part of our tournament team. He was there to be helpful and to be involved.

“That he is gone is a terrible shock to all of our members.

“As with all these kinds of tragedies, we will never understand the why. We can only remember this young man with fond memories and kind support for his family.”

The Joey Eisch Memorial Fund has been created to assist the Eisch family with costs related to this tragedy. If you would like to contribute or to leave a message for his family, click here.

Joey’s family and friends will gather at Sandy Creek High School on Wednesday, July 29, at 5 p.m.

The healing will take much longer than that. Dear Eisch family, your friends at B.A.S.S. grieve with you. You are in our thoughts and prayers.