I think one of the most interesting questions you can ask a fisherman is how they got into the sport of fishing. Unlike a lot of anglers I don’t come from a fishing family. No one else in my family fishes. My grandpa used to be an avid golfer and when I was about 5 or 6 years old he used to take me to the golf course to watch people play golf. Well it just so happened that on one of these trips we came upon a guy that was tight lining for catfish on one of those course ponds. He had a couple of nice channel cats in a bucket and I thought hey this fishing is pretty cool. After that day I begged my mom to take me fishing.

My mom took me up to the local Service Merchandise and got me one of those fishing kits that came with a rod, reel, and some hooks and bobbers. Later that day it was off to the local park pond. We didn’t know how to set everything up and were lucky that there was a guy who used to write for Field and Stream Magazine at the park that day and he got everything set up for me. For the next couple of years I was fortunate that my mom would take me to the park where I would learn how to tease bluegill and catfish into biting. When I was about 8 or 9 years old I started watching all the fishing shows like Bill Dance, Jimmy Houston, and Roland Martin and I got the idea to give bass fishing a shot. I would read any fishing magazines I could get my hands on like Bassmaster , In-Fisherman-, Bassin, etc. and then I would try and apply the techniques and tips to my fishing on ponds and smaller lakes in the St. Louis area. I would spend countless hours and the neighborhood ponds learning how to fish spinnerbaits, topwaters, crankbaits, and a jig yet alone how to throw a bait caster. It was around the age of 11 or so that I would spend almost every day after swim practice fishing local park lakes like Sun Fish Lake, Spanish Lake, and St. Ferdinand. When I got a little older around 13 to 14 years old my mom used to take me out to the lakes around work and drop me off and then pick me up when she got off work. Those lakes had some pretty big bass in them, a lot of them. During those long days of fishing I would try and fish to perfection imagining that I was on some famous lake fishing a big tournament. It was during these years that I probably learned the most as far as techniques go and learning to work different baits. Fishing for me has always been a process of trial and error. It would have been nice to have had a mentor to follow when growing up but then again I think I’m more confident in having learned to fish mainly by spending time at it. There were no shortcuts along the way. In high school baseball consumed most of my spare time. Having to train and stay in great shape took a lot of time away from fishing. All throughout high school though I fished as much as possible. It wasn’t till last January that I had gotten out on a boat and starting fishing tournaments. I’d worked and save up enough money to get my boat because I knew I wanted to be able to get out and compete against other anglers. I learned last year though during my first year of tournament fishing that finding keeper size bass on large lakes can me more of a challenge than locating them on the ponds of the past. I was pretty stoked about my tournament finishes last year. Most of the anglers I fish against have years of tournament experience and to be able to beat them on a consistent basis felt great. This year’s been going pretty good and I’ve been pretty consistent but just haven’t gotten one or two more bites that I’ve needed. Right now I’m just trying to learn as much as possible I’m working on getting my B.S. degree in Biology from Truman State University.

I imagine it’s the same for any college angler out there. It can be tough to balance school work and still find the time to get out and go fishing. In order to get good at anything you have to be willing to sacrifice. People don’t understand that professional fishing has the same amount of competition as other pro sports. You wouldn’t expect to make it to the major leagues without having spent years of training so the same goes for fishing. I don’t know how many nights I’ve pulled an all nighters or finished assignments earlier than the dead line in order to be able to get out for a couple of hours or fish a tournament. While I am working to become a professional angler I also realize that you only get the opportunity to go to college once and that I need to make the most of it. Doing well in school is very important to me. I realize that the sport of fishing is a tough one to crack into and that I need to get an education to get a job that I can use to support myself until the day I am able to fish for a living. Yah know college fishermen probably put in more hours of work than a lot of college athletes. We make the drives to the playing field ourselves, we are responsible for how well we do, and we don’t have coaches to fall back on or guide us on our quest for victory while out on the playing field. We have to put in hours of on the water preparation and practice as well as time spent studying the lakes were going to fish and managing our equipment. Unlike a lot of college sports in fishing you have to pay to play. A lot of college anglers including myself balance a part time job on all of this in order to be able to get out on the water to do what they love. There is nothing in my life that influences my everyday decisions like fishing does.

I’m sure if you asked a dozen college anglers why they fish tournaments you would get a variety of different answers. The reason I fish tournaments is because I love the competition. I’ve always been a competitor. Always having been involved in sports from an early age on I’ve got a competitive spirit and fishing lets me channel that. I love being able to go out on a lake and beat other anglers and Mother Nature. Tournament fishing is like a game where you always have to make decisions. I’ve always been a thinker and the mental aspect of tournament fishing has always fascinated me. The sure thrill of catching a good size bass to finish out a limit in the last minutes of a tournament is such a great feeling that can’t be described. While I love the competition I also really like to fish tournaments because you get to enjoy all of Gods creations in the outdoors. Fishing is great too because you get to meet some pretty cool people along the way. I’ve formed a lot of great friendships with the help of fishing and it fascinates me.
For other college anglers out there if you’re going to try ditching class to catch some bass there are a couple of tips I can give you. First thing you got to do is check the class syllabus to make sure you don’t have a test, quiz, or assignment due that class period. You might also try emailing your professor ahead of time to let them know so if any assignments are going to be handed out you will know about them and not be surprised when the next class period rolls around. I had some pretty cool teachers last semester that let me get out of class but I had to do more work to make it up when I got back. I think that if you talk to your professors they will understand that you think their class is just as important as fishing and that you care about it. So far most of the professors I’ve come across have been understanding and let you make up the work or take tests earlier in order to get to your tournaments on time. Obviously some classes you won’t be able to skip because the professor won’t be willing to work with you. It’s best to plan your fishing schedule around these classes.

 I’ve been asked if going fishing on a lake is like walking into a “lab”? I don’t know if I would put it that way. Fishing is more taking a test. You’ve got a set of conditions and then you try to solve the problem. Sure your experimenting with different baits but it’s all about who can solve the puzzle the quickest on a given day. You also have to look at fishing as an art. Someone can go out on a lake and catch fish on a lure and just hammer them and it will work for them but I probably won’t be able to duplicate their presentation exactly. While you can try to duplicate how another person fishes the way everyone goes about it is a little different. Everyone seems to have their own style. You just have to find what works for you and go with it.