The bass fishing team at Northwestern State University competes in collegiate tournaments, with team members involved in planning events, preparing for competitions and representing the university at regional and national levels. Their responsibilities extend beyond tournament days and include a great deal of behind-the-scenes work.

Ayden Slack, a sophomore communication major who has been on the team for one year, discussed the amount of preparation required to host and compete in competitions. “Prepping and planning to host a fishing tournament has a lot more work that goes into it than most people realize,” Slack said.

“It’s more than just word of mouth; we have to go out and find sponsors, make professional PRs that have to be posted on social media and find places in town to hang the PRs. It’s a lot of marketing and advertisement that goes into it for us to be successful behind the scenes because it’s not just being out on the water catching fish,” Slack said.

This year brought the team’s first season working with a coach. Cole Pickett, a junior electronics engineering major who has been on the team for two years, explained how having a coach has changed the team dynamic. “We have been running around a lot on our own and taking care of things for our team, so with this being our first year with a coach, there is a lot of benefit to it,” Pickett said. “We are a lot more organized now, and there is a lot less work on our side when it comes to paperwork and getting ready for tournaments. We definitely have a lot more structure, and there is weight lifted off the players’ shoulders, which is very nice.”

The team’s continued growth has brought success at the national level. Drake Wadsworth, a junior business management major who has been on the team for two years, detailed his favorite tournament he competed in. “Out of all the tournaments we have fished in, I am definitely most proud of the national championship. My partner and I finished eighth overall, but the camera was in the boat with us all day, and we were on national television. The show actually aired on the Outdoor Channel in November, so that was overall a pretty cool experience,” Wadsworth said.

Through competition and planning, the bass fishing team remains an active and growing team. Members balance tournament performance with backstage responsibilities throughout the season to continue to elevate their team.