Governed by the Association of College Anglers (ACA), bass fishing is the fastest growing sport among colleges in the United States.
Colleges With Fishing Clubs
Big Ten, Pac 10, Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) schools, Duke, Auburn, Penn State, Oregon – they're all represented.
More than 235 schools have college-recognized fishing clubs. In 2009, 286 student anglers, representing 73 universities, registered for the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship.
Collegiate National Champions
Murray State University's Kalem Tippett & Vincent Campisano edged out the team from the University of North Texas to claim the 2009 championship title, joining North Carolina State (2006), Texas A&M (2007) and the University of Arkansas (2008) as national champions.
The Bass Federation and Careco Multimedia Form ACA
ACA was founded by The Bass Federation and Careco Multimedia, Wade Middleton, a Careco executive, told Suite101 during a recent interview. ACA was structured to provide consistent direction and a defined flow of information to and for college students looking to start new bass clubs at their schools, find a bass club on their campus and become angling athletes.
"Four years ago when BoatUS started supporting the championship, there were about 40 schools with organized clubs and no sanctioning body,” said BoatUS Angler Director Mike Pellerin in a recent media announcement. “Once this sport starting gaining critical television coverage, its popularity has soared.
“We have also witnessed the first college in the nation – Bethel University in McKenzie, Tennessee – to officially classify fishing as an ‘athletic sport,’ putting it on par with other team sports for recruitment and athletic scholarships.”
Bass Fishing as an Athletic Sport
To anyone who suggests bass fishing isn't a real sport, Middleton said, "I challenge them to spend a full week getting up at 5 a.m. and heading out onto the water for 8 to 10 hours, under all types of weather conditions, and then say this isn't a sport. Competitive anglers must commit to practice and travel and be dedicated to fine-tuning skills like any other athlete."
Starting a College Bass Fishing Club
ACA provides information and direction to students or schools interested in forming a college-recognized bass fishing club. Samples of club constitutions, budget planning documents and other infomation is available on the ACA Web site.
2010 Collegiate Bass Fishing Tournament Schedule
ACA, has announced its 2010 tournament season has now grown to five televised and numerous non-televised events. The schedule includes the fifth annual BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship on Texas’ Lake Lewisville, May 24-28, 2010. The five events to be televised on Versus are:
Stephen F. Austin State University Bucketmouth Bass Tournament: December 18 and 19 on Sam Rayburn Lake, TX. This event draws many anglers from colder climates.
Arkansas Tech University Invitational: March 25 and 26 at Lake Dardanelle, AR. This is a popular Spring Break tournament.
Southern Collegiate Bass Fishing Series Championship: April 2 and 3 on Wheeler Lake, AL. Hosted by the Auburn University Bass Sports Club, this is the largest regional bass fishing series in the nation.
Fifth Annual BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship: May 24-28 on Lake Lewisville, TX. The largest and most prestigious college bass fishing event of all.
Collegiate Bass Fishing Open: June 21-25 on Kentucky Lake, TN. Hosted by Paris/Henry County, Tennessee, this is a new event that uses an innovative “team” format, where everyone gets in on the action.
 |
 |
 |
 |
