Yes, I know most of you are thinking college football, but college fishing is alive and well and coming to Lake Texoma.

The 2015 Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing Series presented by BoatUS will showcase four nationally televised events on some of the nation's top fisheries.  Beginning on March 13 -15, 2015 the Cabel's Collegiate Big Bass Bash will be held on Kentucky Lake in Paris, TN.  On April 17-19, 2015 the Collegiate Bass Fishing Open will be held on Lake Chickmauga in Dayton, TN.  The Texas Shootout will be held April 25-26, 2014 on Lake Texoma.  The series will wrap up with the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship which  will be held  May 20-22, 2015  on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama 

The Texas Shootout is a new event this year.  According to Wade Middleton, Co-founder of the Association of Collegiate Anglers, "Due to the fact that most of the major tournaments throughout the year take place in the east, we wanted to add an extra opportunity for college anglers in the central region. Lake Texoma is a great lake and location to host the Texas Shootout and we look forward to getting more college anglers on the water.”

Collegiate bass fishing is one of the fastest growing and most competitive sports in the nation.  Four years ago there were only 50 colleges competing in the sport, today there are about 300 universities competing.   Fishing colleges can be found in Ivy League school such as Cornell University, major universities such as The University of Texas in Austin, and smaller colleges  such as Dallas Baptist College and Tarrant County College. 

UT's fastest growing sport doesn't compete at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium or the court at the Frank Erwin Center.  In fact, this sport doesn't even take place on the campus - it is on Lake Austin, and it isn't played with a ball or a bat but with a rod and reel.  From modest beginning in 2008, the Texas team has grown to 15 fishermen and a growing number of sponsors.

Wade Middleton, director of collegiate operations for the Association of Collegiate Anglers, said "collegiate fishing, is growing at an unprecedented rate. College fishing has grown about 400 percent since the ACA had its first event nine years ago.”

“The Collegiate Bass Fishing Series provides an opportunity for young anglers from across the country to showcase their skills and passion,” said Scott Williams, Cabela’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Cabela’s is proud to support this event and its competitors, who represent a strong future for fishing and outdoor industries.”

Chris Edmonston, President of the BoatUS Foundation, added, “We’re proud to be a founding partner in the Association of Collegiate Anglers along with Cabela’s.  What started as a little collegiate fishing event in Texas several years ago has grown into a series of premier collegiate fishing events; thanks in large part to the number of partnerships that have developed over the years."

The Association of Collegiate Anglers has a multifaceted Cabela's School of the Year program designed to both rank and reward collegiate fishing teams throughout the country.  The program is built to reward teams that compete with the ACA in the Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, as well as select national Carhartt College B.A.S.S and FLW events.  The respective championship events for each series will count towards the Cabela's School of the Year program as well.  In addition to the three national collegiate fishing trails, the ACA will also award points for select ACA-sanctioned events throughout the season.

The winners of the 2015 Cabela's School of the Year program will receive a sponsor prize pack worth thousands of dollars and their own dedicated television highlights. An entire episode of American Outdoors, as well as in-show features within the Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing Television Series, will be devoted to the 2015 program, the ultimate winners, and their climb to the top honor of Cabela's School of the Year.

Going to a college with an excellent academic reputation is great. But going to one that also has a bass fishing team? That’s just icing on the cake.