GAINESVILLE – Back in the 1960s there were young men in my home town who occasionally skipped school in order to go fishing. While I still won’t admit to being one of them, those truant boys would laugh and say, “It’s not hooky if you’re using a hook.”
Fishing almost got those boys kicked out of high school.
Goodness, have times changed! Today going fishing can lead to a college scholarship. Today those delinquent fishermen would be highly sought-after recruits, discussing financial assistance with university athletic directors. Apparently those boys from my home town were born half-a-century too early.
While college fishing scholarships are still in their infancy the move toward recruiting by the colleges and selecting a school based upon its fishing program by the perspective student is not unusual.
That process will take another step forward late in September; over the weekend of September 29 and 30 the first National Collegiate / High School Angler Challenge will operate out of Don Carter State Park.
“Now that we have some 90,000 high school anglers across the country we felt like it was time to create a venue where colleges and high school kids who want to fish in college could interface,” said Rusty Logan, teacher of Environmental Sciences and sponsor of the Gilmer County High School bass fishing team and organizer of the two-day event.
Logan, 47, has been fishing a long time and enjoys sharing his love of the out-of-doors with those whom he teaches. He feels that helping those high school students who want to continue competitive bass fishing at the next level is part of his calling.
“The more opportunities we can create for the high school kids to imagine going to college then the better off we are as a culture,” Logan added.
“This is sponsored by the City of Gainesville which is how we ended up at Don Carter State Park,” he said.
Logan said many colleges in Georgia offer scholarships to student fishermen and women. “Savannah College of Art and Design has created the first all-female, completely scholarshipped fishing team. UGA, they have money available.”
Logan wants to get high school fishermen together with college fishermen so the younger can learn from the older about opportunities that are available to fish at the college level.
The event spends the first day on shore at Don Carter State Park where boating safety and fish management will be taught. Several local guides will present talks about fishing on Lake Lanier, fishing industry representatives will be present to discuss the latest fishing equipment, and college recruiters will be in attendance to meet and greet the high school anglers.
Those events are free of charge and available to the general public.
Day two of the event will see the college fishermen paired with a high school fisherman, spending eight hours on the water trying to catch the heaviest five fish limit possible. Those eight hours will also be an opportunity for the high school angler to learn from the college angler about the opportunities and the challenges associated with competitive bass fishing at the college level.
That day of the event is by invitation only. High school fisherman will need to fill out an application. If that application is accepted the high schooler will be paired with a college angler.
As to the size of the turnout for the event, Logan was not sure how many colleges would send representatives. “We invited 44 universities across the southeast.”
For more information on the National Collegiate / High School Angler Challenge and for information on contacting organizers, click on the link below.
