I remember planning to skip school once with a friend who will remain nameless in an attempt to protect the innocent.

Well maybe we weren’t that innocent but our plan was to spend the whole day on the bank of a small river which ran just north of our school.

Yep, we were planning on going fishing and playing hooky. Our plans were thwarted by my Grandad when we stopped by the local general store to buy a box of worms. I guess the rods and reels tied to our bicycles gave us away. Getting caught playing hooky back then meant getting in some trouble. My Dad made sure that I realized the magnitude of my mistake. He very vocally suggested I continue with my education and save fishing for the weekends.

What a changing of the times, it’s been. In 2009, I received a phone call from Bethel University. They wanted me to come to their campus in McKenzie, TN, and speak to the Athletic Director about forming a fishing team.

I was fortunate enough to be hired as the new Head Coach for the Bethel University college Bass fishing team. Little did I know that my life was going to be changed forever. The school was going to allow me to build what would later become the premier college Bass fishing program in America. Ten years later, the Bethel Bass Cats have won seven national Championships and numerous regional Bass fishing tournaments including the very first Major League Fishing college tournament held on Watts Bar Lake in East Tennessee.

During my career as the Bass Coach at Bethel, the sport of collegiate Bass fishing has evolved from just a handful of college teams to over eight hundred schools across America.

Teams compete in both small regional tournaments as well as national run trails such as Bassmasters, Bass Pro Shops Boat US, and FLW.

Bethel University was the first college in the nation to offer scholarships for the sport of Bass fishing. Several other schools have followed suit.

One of the fastest-growing high school sports is now the sport of Bass fishing. High schools from across the nation have formed teams and fish both on a statewide level and in the national spotlight with television cameras and writers at almost every major championship in which they participate.

Three high schools near Bethel University compete in the sport of Bass fishing. Camden, West Carroll, and Henry County High all have fishing teams and more schools are starting fishing programs every year. 

Hank Weldon, Senior Tournament Manager for College, Highschool, and JR High for Bassmasters stated “The youth segments in bass fishing continue to grow at a very fast pace. I love to see all the youth who are enjoying this sport we all love.”

Kevin Hunt, Director of Tournament Operations, College and High School fishing for Fishing League Worldwide said that the growth of both the high school and college fishing is not only very exciting but also very valuable to the professional side of the industry. “We here at FLW are already seeing young Anglers stepping up to careers in our fishing industry after graduating from college,” said Hunt.

Coach Kandi Ellis from Henry County High School in Paris Tennessee has compiled a very successful fishing program in just three short years. Coach Ellis finished her 2018-19 season with three teams from Henry County in the top 20 out of 226 boats from the West Tennessee region. Also, the Patriot team of Mercedes Ellis and Gage Sherrod will fish in the Bassmasters High School National Championship to be held on Kentucky Lake in August 2019 out of Paris Landing State Park just 19 miles from the Henry County Campus.

The Carroll County One Thousand Acre Recreational Lake will play host to the Bassmasters Jr Highschool National Championship during the same week of August. This great new lake sits just a few short miles from the Bethel Campus and is near Huntingdon, TN.

Many communities across America that have lakes nearby are reaching out to college and high school tournament directors in attempts to attract the huge tourism benefits associated with the sport of Bass fishing.

As a college coach, the one comment that I hear the most from folks when I tell them what my job involves is “Boy, I wish they had Bass fishing when I was in college”. Playing hooky now to go fishing is accepted. How cool is that?

For more information on College or High School tournaments contact

www. Bassmasters.com

www.flw.com