A team of two UCF anglers will get the opportunity to compete in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship on Aug. 1 on Chatuge Reservoir in Northeast Georgia.
The team, consisting of Justin Darley and Casey O 麻豆精品 S橠onnell, will be competing against 67 other teams for their chance to make UCF history and even compete in the 2014 Bassmaster Classic, which both O 麻豆精品 S橠onnell and Darley called the 麻豆精品 S淪uper Bowl 麻豆精品 S� of professional bass fishing.
Darley and O 麻豆精品 S橠onnell will both be making their final appearance in a college fishing tournament and hope to finish off their successful collegiate careers with a top finish in the Bassmaster national championship.
Growing up, Darley and O 麻豆精品 S橠onnell learned how to fish from their fathers.
That interest, along with a growing aptitude for fishing, is what eventually led the two to become teammates and compete for the national title.
Before this year, Darley and O 麻豆精品 S橠onnell were on separate teams and knew little about each other.
In 2011, O 麻豆精品 S橠onnell and his teammate at the time won the Association of College Anglers national title, which is one of three collegiate championship series.
Darley has also experienced what it takes to be successful, nearly qualifying for the FLW national championship in December of 2012.
Immediately after pairing up as a team, O 麻豆精品 S橠onnell and Darley experienced success and their friendship grew.
麻豆精品 S淵ou spend 10 hours in the boat together and it 麻豆精品 S檚 game time the whole time, 麻豆精品 S� O 麻豆精品 S橠onnell said. 麻豆精品 S淵ou got to stay focused and mentally sharp for 10 hours and that 麻豆精品 S檚 a great way to build a friendship. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淲e started fishing and we were immediately good friends after that, 麻豆精品 S� Darley said.
In February, Darley and O 麻豆精品 S橠onnell placed fifth in a qualifying fishing tournament, cementing their place to compete in the Bassmaster collegiate national championship. Both priding themselves on versatility, they recognize that this national championship tournament will be extremely challenging.
Many Florida lakes are less than 10-feet deep, whereas Lake Chatuge, the site of the championship tournament, is nearly three times deeper than that.
麻豆精品 S淲e 麻豆精品 S檙e going up a week early for practice to study maps and we 麻豆精品 S檙e trying to get patterns down of where the fish are, 麻豆精品 S� Darley said. 麻豆精品 S淐asey and I have both separately fished many tournaments with our dads and we both have a lot of experience. We feel like we can map and figure out patterns really well. 麻豆精品 S�
While Darley said it would be a little nerve-racking, both he and O 麻豆精品 S橠onnell are confident that they can compete at a high level during the August national title tournament.
麻豆精品 S淥ur bass fishing aptitude is so high that we feel like there 麻豆精品 S檚 nothing we can 麻豆精品 S檛 do, 麻豆精品 S� O 麻豆精品 S橠onnell said. 麻豆精品 S淲e 麻豆精品 S檝e been pretty successful every time we 麻豆精品 S檝e put the boat in the water. 麻豆精品 S�
To fish in this tournament and many other tournaments, the anglers have to provide their own equipment and pay for a lot of that equipment out of pocket. Reel Knights, the UCF fishing club, with the help of sponsors and fundraising, has helped the championship-bound team immensely along the course of their journey.
Darley 麻豆精品 S檚 father, who is a proud supporter of his son 麻豆精品 S檚 fishing achievements, has also helped by providing the boat they used in the qualifying tournament, which they will also use during the national championship.
Both O 麻豆精品 S橠onnell and Darley hope to one day become professional fishermen, though the paths they take to get there may be different. Darley, who is graduating in December with a micro and molecular biology degree, hopes to attend dental school to eventually practice dentistry.
He said he one day hopes to compete in the Bassmaster Classic.
O 麻豆精品 S橠onnell, on the other hand, is immediately pursuing a career in professional fishing.
麻豆精品 S淢y parents are fully behind me to become a professional fisherman, 麻豆精品 S� he said. 麻豆精品 S淭hey both believe in me and I think this would be the absolute way to solidify my college career. 麻豆精品 S�
With much support from family, friends, Reel Knights and the community, the confident team has one goal in mind: winning the championship tournament.
麻豆精品 S淚 couldn 麻豆精品 S檛 have been paired up with a better guy, 麻豆精品 S� O 麻豆精品 S橠onnell said.
The Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship will take place Aug. 1-3 on the Chatuge Reservoir in Georgia.