The Patrick Henry Community College bass fishing team traveled to North Carolina’s Lake Norman to compete in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series last week. The Patriots faced collegiate fishing teams from across the region in unfavorable weather on a hot-water lake. According to the team, these conditions made this tournament one of the harder challenges they’ve faced yet.
For team members Dillon Bryant and Dustin Wagner, the challenging nature of this tournament made it the perfect warm up for the bigger and more competitive tournament they face at the end of March. At that tournament, the Patriots are aiming to place among the top 25 competitors in order to qualify for this year’s national tournament. Bryant says they learned valuable lessons on Lake Norman that will help them be prepared for anything they may face next month.
“It’s all about research. Every lake has a different personality,” said Bryant. “If you’ve fished long enough you have a mental map of what the fish are doing under the surface – you know their patterns. With research, you can bring the unique personality traits of the lake, the layout of the lake, and your mental map all together.”
To find out more about the PHCC Bass Fishing team, contact Brian Henderson, athletic director at PHCC, at bhenderson@patrickhenry.edu.
