We are... Bass Anglers! PSU competes in FLW National Championship
We are… Bass Anglers
Penn State makes first appearance at FLW National championship
By Tyler Frantz
When the Nittany Lion Bass Team placed 3rd in the Northern Regional FLW College Fishing Championship on the Upper Chesapeake Bay last September, they automatically punched their ticket to advance to the National Championship Tournament held on Lake Keowee in Seneca, South Carolina in March of 2016.
For PSU teammates, Tyler Smith of Pine Grove and Matt Bakewell of Brownsville, it was their first time taking the national stage for a tournament of this magnitude. In fact, it was Penn State’s first time ever qualifying for FLW College Nationals.
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| Photo Courtesy of Fishing League Worldwide |
Arriving in South Carolina, among a 54-team field of the Nation’s top collegiate anglers, (many of whom are heavily sponsored and on scholarship), the two Bass Club members from PSU weren’t exactly sure what to expect. They knew the competition would be tight, and the clear, deep lake was unlike any other body of water they had ever fished. Still, they remained optimistic and relied on what they knew best- simply having fun and fishing.
“Our goal going into it was to come down and be able to have a full 5-fish limit each day and put on a good show for our school, club, family and friends,” Smith said. By the tournament’s end, that’s exactly what we did.”
The team took advantage of two permissible practice days prior to the tournament to get a feel for the water and how fish responded to various lures and techniques. They found success on shaky heads, wacky rigged Senkos and a homemade jig, while targeting spawning fish on their beds along stained-water tributaries to the lake.
Two of the fish landed during practice weighed four and five pounds, so the team backed off, hoping the trend would continue the next day when it mattered. Instead, they stopped fishing and scouted backup locations.
The following morning marked the start of the tournament, and after drawing boat number 23, Penn State anxiously motored off to the same cove where they had landed an impressive bass the day before.
“Within a few casts, I could hear Matt fighting a fish,” said Smith. “After what seemed like an eternity, I was finally able to net it and bring it into the boat. We both immediately smiled from ear to ear, as we knew it was going to be a good day.”
However, their spirits sank after the next two hours provided minimal action in ideal locations. Team PSU decided to move into a small cove they didn’t scout in practice, but thought looked promising. After making a few blind casts, Bakewell picked up another fish in the middle of the cove, giving them two by 10:30am.
Smith was throwing a chatter-bait along downed trees in the water with no luck. During an errant cast, his lure smashed off of the trolling motor, broke and went flying into the water.
Bakewell suggested it might be a sign to change to something different, so Smith tied on a shad pattern spinner-bait and began fishing in a similar way. The water soon erupted with a giant school of baitfish being chased by spotted bass. Smith threw into the fray and immediately hooked up. “This went on for 15 to 20 minutes, bringing in a fish almost every single cast,” said Smith. “They were of smaller size, but met the 12-inch minimum we were able to keep. It was the most fun fishing I ever had, and I know Matt was having fun just watching and netting them all. It was truly magical.”
Although PSU now had their limit, they knew they needed to focus on working in bigger fish, so they returned to the spawning beds.
Nearing a dock where they had landed a huge fish in practice, Smith pitched in a jig and watched his line take off towards the steel cables anchoring the dock in place. As he tried setting the hook, it became tangled in the mess and the fish came off, leaving the angler devastated.
“I knew that was the fish I had caught the day before, and it would stick with me for a long time. I honestly got the feeling I could have puked- I was that sick, knowing what that fish would have meant to us, but such is fishing.”
The team kept moving, and a few docks down, Bakewell hooked into a massive fish. After a lot of stripped drag and a few scary misses with the net, they eventually landed the solid five-pounder, high-fiving and hugging in triumph.
It was exactly the boost the team needed, as they embarked for weigh-ins with 14-pounds and 7-ounces, of bass- good enough for second place at the time.
“It was an incredible feeling to hear everyone cheer for us, including both our parents who had driven 10 hours to watch us fish,” said Smith. “After coming off the stage, we were swarmed by reporters asking us where we were fishing, what baits we were using, our strategy, and where we would be the next day so their TV crews could find us. Talk about overwhelming.”
With weigh-ins complete, Penn State dropped to 5th place to end Day 1, and although they were sitting pretty, there was a less than 3-pound difference from 1stto 25th places. The next day brought another 5-fish limit for PSU, but they just couldn’t find the size they needed to hold off the other teams. With 6-pounds and 2-ounces of bass for Day 2, the team dropped to 24th overall, perhaps only a large fish or two from the top 10 cut.
“Knowing we were that close was very bittersweet,” said Smith. “We were right there in the hunt but just didn't get that big bite the second day- for what reasons we may never know.”
“In the end, though, I am still so humbled by the entire experience and could not be more proud of what my partner and I accomplished. We ended up doing more than most could have ever expected us to do. I hope we were able to set the bar a little, and open up some opportunities for ourselves and other PSU Bass Club members in the future.”
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