Wallace State’s BASS fishing club seeking new members as 3rd season approaches

HANCEVILLE, ALA. – Wallace State’s BASS fishing club is preparing to crank up its third season.
The first club meeting of the fall semester is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 6 p.m. It will take place at the Wallace State Electronics/Drafting Building.
“We are excited about how much club has grown. We are competing each year with the universities, and I think we can be even more competitive.As withbaseball or basketball, our goal is win these big tournaments,” said Wallace State’s club faculty sponsor Joe Hendrix, an instructor in the Industrial Electronics Technology Department.
Wallace State’s BASS club fished in tournaments last fall and spring at Guntersville Lake, Wheeler Lake, Wilson Lake, Smith Lake and Pickwick Lake.
The club’s second season ended in early July at the BASS Collegiate Wildcard tournament in Florence. Wallace State fell one spot and eight ounces short of qualifying for nationals. Justin Rivers and Colton Henderson made up Wallace State’s top angler pair at the Wildcard tournament.
Wallace State’s inaugural dive into BASS fishing (2012-13) was very successful as Ethan Flack and Logan Shaddix teamed up to advance to the Carhartt College Series National Championship last August, finishing 15^th nationally among 64 teams. Flack and Shaddix advanced to the national event after finishing 14^th at the regional competition.
As the fall semester approaches, the club has generated interest from female students for the first time. Hendrix also emphasizes that a student doesn’t have to be a fishing expert to hook on with the organization.
“I’m getting some interest from some novices or people who are wanting to learn how to fish. We want them to be a part of the club as well. We are going to pair up some of the more inexperienced students with our experienced fishers in order to increase their skills and knowledge,” Hendrix said.
The club also has plans this fall to stock up the pond on campus with bass and crappie. They have already added 3,000 copper nose blue gill this summer.
Any Wallace State student who loves fishing or the outdoors is encouraged to join the club. Students must be full-time in order to compete in tournaments.
The primary purpose of the Wallace State BASS Fishing Club is to encourage camaraderie, sportsmanship, integrity, conservation and development of the skills and knowledge needed to be successful anglers by competing with other schools in FLW National Guard College Fishing tournaments and other fishing tournaments on a local and regional basis.
Those interested in the club can call Hendrix at 256.352.8154 or email him at joe.hendrix@wallacestate.edu. Instructors Jeremy Smith and Brian Hall are also faculty sponsors.
For more information about Wallace State, visit wallacestate.edu.
###
______________________________
 
Russell Moore
Staff Writer
Wallace State Community College
P.O. Box 2000, Hanceville, AL 35077
1-866-350-9722    256-352-8443 direct
256-339-2422 cell
Visit us online at www.wallacestate.edu