When I was in high school competitive college bass fishing was relatively unknown. As far as I was concerned it was nonexistent. However, the record reflects that the first known college bass fishing tournament took place at Lake Monroe, Indiana on April 18, 1992 between Purdue University and Indiana University. Purdue won the tournament by three pounds. It wasn’t until 2006 that Cabala’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series held their first collegiate championship (won by North Carolina State University) and 2010 until FLW held their first(won by the University of Florida). Now college bass fishing is deeply woven in the fabric of competitive bass fishing. Several top tier pros have come from the college ranks. As well as many high schools are starting fishing teams to help pursue college scholarships.
Who’s helping it grow? Well to answer that we obviously must look in many places. From major organizations like Major League Fishing and BASS all the way down to the individual…