Since I have been in high school I always knew I wanted to fish college bass tournaments. I have been competitively bass fishing since I was in middle school; I am currently the vice president of the UWW Bass Fishing Team. Bass fishing has always been a passion of mine. Competitive bass fishing is now one of the fastest growing club sports in college to this day. I have been lucky enough to fish bass tournament throughout my whole college experience along with qualifying for nationals my sophomore year. Fishing tournaments at the collegiate level takes persistence and skill.
When you fish competitively at the collegiate level you are going against anglers that know what they’re doing. If you’re considering fishing at the collegiate level it’s important to keep your bass fishing skills sharp. When it comes to fishing you are constantly learning, one is always a student of the game. When it comes to bass fishing, there is constant change taking place all the time. Adapting to fish behavior is a major component when it comes to competitive bass fishing.
Collegiate bass tournaments are run similar to the pro series bass tournaments, I will explain. The rules are as follows; typically you have a size limit to the bass that count ranging from 12-16″ depending on the lake. Bass species from largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted are all legal for weigh-ins. Normal tournaments are typically seven to eight hours long. Collegiate bass tournaments require artificial lures only, no live bait allowed. To win a collegiate bass tournament, you want the heaviest weight of five basses combined. These are just a few of the main rules and regulations of collegiate bass fishing. If you are thinking about getting serious with collegiate bass fishing, review the rules and regulations beforehand. Unfortunately, I have had to learn the hard way a few times while tournament fishing.
One of my favorite aspects of fishing at the collegiate level is the ability to utilize my skills and passion in a competitive manner. I tend to have a competitive nature that likes to compete with others at things I enjoy. Competitive bass fishing has been around since the 19th century and is expected to continue growing in years to come. I would highly recommend collegiate bass fishing to any high school graduate thinking about taking their bass fishing skills to the next level. You can learn some incredible things along with brushing up your skills alongside a variety of anglers. Collegiate bass fishing is a major highlight to my college experience I believe other young anglers should experience for themselves.