Twenty-four hours, 20,000 maggots, an 11-foot-long cane pole, lots of energy and a dedication to help draw attention to a nationally recognized program called Fishing For Life.

These were just some of the components in Jeff Kolodzinski’s plan to break a world record.

The angler set out earlier this year to break the Guiness World Record for catching more than 1,628 fish in a period of 24 hours. Unfortunately, the weather and other factors slowed the bite and Kolodzinski’s efforts fell just short of the previous record, which Kolodzinski himself already holds.

The 24-hour period began at 7:40 a.m. from the docks of Maynards Restaurant on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota. Kolodzinski set up for the event by preparing a neatly laid-out buffet of bait that included 20,000 maggots in various colors like red, blue, white and yellow.

He then prepped his fishing rod, an 11-foot cane pole “on steroids,” as he described it. The rod was nimble enough to pull the smallest panfish from the water yet big enough to handle the occasional bass, carp or even pike that would often swoop in to take a bluegill he was landing.

Armed with a hook and three lively maggots, a float and a couple of split shot at the ready, the clock started and a grueling 24 hours of fishing began. Kolodzinski hoped to attract a group of bluegills to his area, which in turn would attract even bigger schools.

One might think that it would be better to move from one area to another to attract new and different fish, but Kolodzinski stuck to the same area the entire period. His plan seemed to work, and by noon he had already caught 550 fish, which was ahead of the pace he needed to keep.

By 8:30 p.m., the tired angler had caught and released 1,245 fish. And with around 11 hours left to fish, it seemed like a new record was easily within reach. Then Mother Nature decided to throw a wrench into things, as a storm front moved through the area.

Donning his rain gear, Kolodzinski continued to fish through the rain, with lightning flashing off in the distance. The bite, of course, slowed to a terribly slow pace and the angler really had to work for each fish.

As the first rays of sunshine began creeping over the lake, the clock revealed that only 50 minutes was left to fish and the tired angler still needed 133 fish to break the record. As the final seconds ticked away, the count ended at 1,556 fish.

While Kolodzinski didn’t reach is record goal he did draw attention to a non-profit organization called Fishing For Life, which is dedicated to serving youth through various fishing programs.

In 2008 the Fishing For Life program was selected by the National Parks and Recreation Association to serve as one of 30 “Anchor Agencies” in the U.S. dedicated to promote and engage youth in fishing and boating activities.

Kolodzinsky specifically brought attention to an event the Fishing For Life crew had been working on that helped military families who had been separated by deployments by offering them a relaxing day of fishing and fun.

To watch this unique event unfold, check out the nine-minute online video (www.youtube.com/user/traditionsmedia#play/all), which documents the event from setup to the end, when Kolodzinski is treated by a local chiropractor after the back-breaking 24-hour period. The video even features an underwater camera, allowing viewers to watch the fish being caught.

Outdoors correspondent Jeff Leonard can be reached at outdoors@npgco.com