Somo Fish and Game Club celebrates 75th anniversary

By Sarah Greil

TOMAHAWK – On Saturday, July 20, members of the Somo Fish and Game Club celebrated the club's 75th anniversary with a cookout.

There was plenty of food, a bouncy house and games for the kids, and corn hole to celebrate this milestone.

Those who were in attendance ranged from longtime members down to their grandkids, the future members of the club.

75 years ago, a group of men gathered to discuss forming a club, aimed at improving the lakes and trout streams in the Somo area. A little over a month later, in May of 1949, the group became Somo Fish and Game Club Inc. The first elected directors were Paul Senzig, Henry Peters Sr., William Elliott, Ben Nick, Andy J. Anderson, Paul Collette, Henry Peters Jr., Oliver Shelley and G. Bachhuber.

Within the first year of the club’s existence, members made repairs to the dam on the Little Somo and consulted with conservation staff members at the Art Oehmcke Hatchery in Woodruff concerning stocking local waters with musky and trout.

In 1972, the Somo Fish and Game Club was recognized by the Wisconsin Conservation Congress for outstanding public service. According to the Wausau Daily Herald, the club “provided game habitat, seeded fire lanes for grouse feed and made improvements to Somo Lake.”

Today, the Somo Fish and Game Club is still committed to fostering positive sportsmanship. Their clubhouse and shooting range is located at 8420 County Rd. CC, just west of Tomahawk.

They offer an adult trap shooting league, which runs from May through August. Teams are sponsored by local businesses. Their gun range is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. for club members to shoot for their team or to practice.

The club is also home to the Tomahawk Claybusters Trapshooting Team. The Claybusters consists of youth from 6th to 12th grade. They compete against area schools at home and travel to other trap clubs for optional weekend shoots.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/SomoFishandGameClub.