KSL Outdoors: Utah’s first and only collegiate bass fishing team

<(Intro) Thanks for tuning into KSL Outdoors, I'm Adam Eakle. Tonights show is all on Utah Lake. You know Utah Lake gets a bad rap, but it's a great place to bring the family to go boating, it's also home to some pretty neat fish species, like the white bass, the largemouth, even the endemic June Sucker. It's also home to Utah's first and only collegiate bass fishing team and sorry Utes and Cougars it's not you, it's the Wolverines.">

<(Clinton Martinez, Advisor for UVU Bass Club) Sitting on the couch watching FLW college fishing with my boy and he turns to me and says dad I want to fish in college and I looked at him and said you are going to have to go to Texas or Arkansas because we don't have anything in Utah and I couldn't sleep that night, I was thinking man my son wants to fish at college why can't we do it here. So I went to the club office the next day, they told me how to set up the club, made tons of phone calls and within a month we were off and running.">

That was last November and now, just seven months later, Utah Valley University boasts over two dozen members and is one of two hundred universities competing across the country in the National Guard, FLW college fishing circuit.

So far they’ve competed in four regional tournaments and have actually won two. Pretty impressive for a bunch of anglers who grew up targeting trout.

<(Aaron Warner, Orem Member) "Just being on a team and just doing everything together and working together is really cool, that's probably my favorite thing about the club.">

Aaron was part of both UVU Bass club wins, where he and his teammates competed against the likes of Arizona State, Colorado State and many other teams with much more experience. Aaron even used an Ugly Stick rod, a brand other competitors laughed at, but not Aaron.

<(Aaron Warner) yeah you could kind of see who are these guys they don't know what they are doing, they've got an Ugly Stick over there, but we held our own. And it was on their home turf so it was cool. Kind of rub it in their faces you know.">

<(Tate Brown) "I think people just thought it was fluke luck when we won our first one, then after that it was like alright we need to look out for these guys.">

<(Trace) oh look at the shoulders on that thing. (net fish) (trace) oh there's big fish of the day weston.>

The team calls Utah Lake their home water. However, being poor college students, very few of them own bass boats, so they rely on the local bass pros, who loan them their boats and help them by becoming their mentors.

<(Trace Myers, Santiquin Volunteer) "I kind of live vicariously through these guys and when I see them do well. It makes me feel part of it and that's why I come out and give them a hand.">

<(Fish jumps) woo hoo. (weston) "you picked a good day to come Mr. Eakle.">

<(Weston Brierley, UVU Bass Club) "this fishery is very underestimated by most people They don't realize that you can come and catch five different species on one lure it's awesome.>

<(Trace) "oh that's a big one, get the net. (trace) "that's the biggest fish I've caught all year. Oh my gosh. (nets fish) wow.">

<(Trace) "there you go buddy. (high five) one for the camera.">

<(Adam) do your parents give you a hard time about joining a bass club while going to school? (weston) "little bit, but they think it's pretty cool what we've been doing. It's been a successful thing, got my name out there a little bit, hopefully this is an avenue to become pro one day but for now this is just great.">

<(Brent Daybell, Mentor) "A students idea of college is totally different than mom and dads. But on the other hand you've got to ask yourself, would you want your son out bass fishing or would you have them doing what kids like to do at college.">

The UVU team will now advance to one of five televised three-day National Guard FLW College Fishing Conference Championships, where the first-place team has a chance to win a twenty five thousand dollar Ranger bass boat for their team. Brent and Trace, say these college students are learning life lessons, they probably don’t even realize.

<(Brent Daybell) who would have thought this would be a lesson learning thing, but i've seen bass fishing change a lot of attitudes on a lot of young people.>

<(Adam) "do you think BYU and Utah could climb on board now? (tate) "absolutely, yeah it would be fun to have more teams in the state.>

<(Fish Surfaces) Oh...(net fish) woo. That's five and a half.">

<(Adam) "any incoming freshman, junior, senior that wants to get involved with the club they still can? (clint) yup, they just got to contact me at martincl@UVU.EDU, $15.00 is the dues and we'll get them out here fishing. Yeah that's what we do. Great day today, fun having you out. (weston) You get one of these awesome jerseys. (Adam) Yeah you get an awesome jersey. Hey we've got more coming up here on KSL Outdoors.">

<(Tag) From fishing to hunting, that story in just a moment, but first tonights quiz question.">

Add comment

Get In Touch

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.