GREEN BAY (NBC26) — The Fox River in Green Bay became an international stage this weekend as anglers from around the world competed in the 2025 Street Fishing World Championship, marking the first time the event has been held in the United States.
Watch Kyle Langellier's full broadcast story here:
On Sunday, teams from nine countries cast their lines into the Fox River waters, with Team USA delivering a thrilling comeback performance.
Chris Ledvina from Shawano and his partner, Adam Schumacher, both Wisconsin natives, represented Team USA in this Olympic-style competition. Ledvina has been fishing since he was 4 years old and brings decades of experience to the international stage.
"As a whole, it's really accessible to people, you don't need a boat, don't have access to all the fancy equipment," Ledvina said.
The duo's complementary fishing styles proved to be a winning combination throughout the competition.
"He's a finesse fisherman, and I'm more of a power fisherman, so it works out good, and it worked out great today," Ledvina said.
Street fishing, also known as urban or city fishing, involves anglers walking up to bodies of water and casting their lines from the shore without boats or elaborate equipment.
Janet Ledvina, Team USA's captain, emphasized that success requires more than just chance.
"There is some luck, I think there's luck in everything but you have to have the skills you have to have the techniques, you have to know what lures they might want. So there is more than just luck that goes into it," Janet Ledvina said.
The competition format requires each team to add up the total length of all their catches, with the longest combined measurement determining the winner.
In a dramatic finish, Team USA nearly doubled their centimeters in the final 45 minutes of competition, catapulting them from seventh place to third place in Sunday's standings.
"It's unbelievable, I actually got teared up. It was awesome, it's hard to explain when you need one more fish to get you to the next place and you get it - it's like a fairy tale," Ledvina said.
Team USA expressed confidence following their strong Sunday performance, though final scores were set to be revealed at the championship banquet.
