Sports Celebrities Go Fishing For ACES

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- All week long, we are having celebrities and notables stop by to try ice fishing on the WCCO rooftop.

On Wednesday, an NFL player, a team owner and familiar faces took their turn in the ice house. They're trying to catch fish on the WCCO rooftop.

All the money raised goes to ACES, which uses sports to teach kids math and science. WCCO's Kate Raddatz shows us how our celebrities did.

"It's probably 45 degrees in Charlotte right now but we get into the 20s so I'm used to this," Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly said.

Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly is a beast on the field when it comes to tackling, but Wednesday he got his shot at the fishing tackle in WCCO's MinneCentric Experience.

"I gotta improve my fishing skills. It's the first time I've been fishing in the city so I can mark that one off," Kuechly said.

Kuechly is in town for Saturday's Farm Bowl. That's where NFL players will play a different kind of game at 3M at Mariucci Arena to highlight the role of farmers.

"We'll be changing tires on tractors, backing up hay bales, all kinds of cool stuff. So I'm excited for it," Kuechly said.

You may recognize this fisherwoman.

"I know how to fish, I'm from Minnesota!" Jamie Yuccas said.

That's CBS News Correspondent and former WCCO anchor Jamie Yuccas.

Former NFL player Jerome Bettis also dropped a line. And Vikings Owner Mark Wilf fished alongside our own Mike Max.

"It's been a great ride. We had great moments like that miracle, but still obviously short of where we had to go," Wilf said.

But don't expect the team to give up on bringing home the Lombardi Trophy.

"We're working every day to bring championships to this community and our fans," Wilf said.

Jason Zucker, Matt Dumba, and Charlie Coyle of the Minnesota Wild are used to spending time on the ice, and apparently, they're naturals at ice fishing.

All together they caught five fish to benefit the nonprofit Athletes Committed to Educating Students (ACES). Dumba has been a tutor for children at ACES over the years.

"They're awesome," he said. "It's definitely rewarding for me, in the sense that you go to these classrooms and these kids -- they're so witty and have smiles on their faces."

For every fish that's caught on our rooftop, money is donated to ACES.

Fishing pros Al Lindner and Jeremy Smith -- not surprisingly -- had no problem catching fish.

Some lucky DNR students came up to check out the rooftop and learn a few fishing lessons. Linder and Smith said the key is a light line, location and patience.

"Little things make a big difference, and that comes from just having the desire to, 'I want to learn how to catch,'" Linder said.

Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph was the last famous fisherman of the day. He thanked the fans for an incredible season.

"We wish we could still be playing for them," he said. "We obviously wanted to be the first to play in our home super bowl weren't able to get that done but we do appreiate coming out each and every week .29 ..."

The Minnesota Wild players even set a new record today for catching a fish the fastest. Jason Zucker got his first in about 30 seconds:

So far, we have raised more than $77,000 for Athletes Committed to Educating Students. It will be used to help tutor local students who need some extra help.