By the time the sun rises over Andrew Brown Park East, the water is already moving. Delicate ripples cut across the lake and the occasional splashes from fish break the silence of the Saturday morning.
On most weekends, Coppell High School juniors Santiago Mendoza and Tony Zhang are there before the rest of Coppell wakes up with rods in hand, ready to trade a week of stress for a few hours of peace.
Their plans usually start through a quick conversation, set by Friday afternoon. By Saturday morning, they meet in the parking lot, unload their gear and head toward the water.
“When we go outside, we’re almost deafened by the calmness of the natural environment around us,” Zhang said. “You hear the natural sounds of birds and the wind. It kind of calms you down straight away.”
They follow a simple routine: tying on lures, casting out, reeling in and repeating, chasing the possibility of a bite. Some days, nothing happens for hours, but when it does, it is rewarding.
“You never know when you’re going to catch a fish,” Zhang said. “You get excited when you catch a fish. It’s almost addictive because you’re anticipating the feeling.”
That foundation of their friendship is built on the sequence of patience, anticipation and occasional reward.
First connecting through basketball, Mendoza and Zhang became friends at Coppell Middle School East. It was not until the two were juniors that fishing became a regular activity.
“I always knew my friends liked fishing,” Zhang said. “One day, we hung out and I was like ‘Let’s go fishing. Let’s see each other’s skills.”
Out on the water, conversation comes easily. Without the noise of school or the pressure of their schedules, they talk about everything from classes, sports, upcoming tests or whatever is weighing on them that week.
“It feels like everything else just goes away,” Mendoza said. “It’s just like two guys having a nice conversation. From nine to one, it’s just my chill time.”
That sense of escape keeps them coming back.
“When you’re just scrolling on your phone, you feel like you’re not doing anything productive,” Zhang said. “But this, it’s different. You’re outside, you’re in the moment. It’s good for your mental health.”
The moments they remember most are not always about the biggest catches, but sometimes, the stories come close. A few weeks ago, Mendoza reeled in a crappie weighing nearly three pounds, far larger than expected.
“It was insanely huge,” Zhang said. “I was just really proud of him. There was no sort of jealousy there. It was really exciting.”
Junior Bruno Castillo, who often joins them, sees fishing as a balance to everything else in their lives, especially sports, which all three are involved in.
“Sports are intense,” Castillo said. “Fishing is calm. You just get to relax, talk and enjoy being out there. That’s where you really connect.”
That connection extends beyond their small group. Through the CHS Bass Fishing Club, they met other students sharing the same interest to create a space where experience levels do not matter as much as showing up.
“It’s not really about the fish,” Castillo said. “It’s more about connecting with your friends and just having a peaceful time with them.”
Although the club has struggled to stay active without a sponsor, Mendoza and Zhang hope to bring it back in some form next year with less structure, but still centered around bringing people together.
“There could be more friendships like ours,” Mendoza said. “That would be really cool to see.”
For now, they are focused on the weekends ahead because in the time between casting and waiting, they have already found a way to slow down. It does not really matter if they catch anything or not.
“It’s good luck and really just having fun with it,” Zhang said. “That’s all you need to do.”
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