January is one month of the year when even die-hard anglers won’t look at you like a mad man if you’d rather sit in a cozy recliner and watch college football than head to the lake. It’s understandable, considering the weather and it being college football bowl season.
As coincidence has it, most bass fishing football fans have something to talk about in January and into February. The top college football teams each season are traditionally from top bass fishing regions of the country, and a day spent arguing the Bowl Championship Series computer rankings gets the heart pumping as much as hunting up the hottest bite.
So, in honor of college football and all forms of collegiate rankings, and in the spirit of friendly college rivalries, it is time for some college debate aimed specifically at anglers.
We surveyed all 2009 National Guard FLW College Fishing anglers in the country on their clubs, their schools, their fishing lifestyles and more, and we scored the results based on the factors we thought most important for a college angler: proximity to bass fisheries, tournament opportunities, club activities, etc. We also interviewed club officers and tournament winners. We then tossed all the information together, combined our “editors’ rankings” – completely ignoring the Bowl Championship Series computer scores – and ended up with the results that follow: the top 25 bass fishing colleges.
Some of these colleges host clubs that are long-established, with active members and crowded meetings. Others are new, but their passion for the sport and proximity to great fishing water are sure to draw talented anglers in the future.
If you are about to venture into the college world, pay close attention, take notes even. It’s good practice. If you already graduated and your alma mater isn’t where you expected it on the list, kick out that footrest, read on and then let us know how you feel. This is college sports, after all. It wouldn’t be any fun without debate.
