Elite “Angel” Anglers

Young anglers from Boys & Girls Clubs in communities across the United States will be “living the dream” when they team up with Bassmaster Elite Series professional anglers August 2, 2008, during the 2008 Empire Chase in Buffalo, N.Y. The Foundation and BASS/ESPN Outdoors have joined efforts to create this unique opportunity for Club youth to fish with Elite Series professional anglers.

The Future Fisherman Foundation, the angling education arm of the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), is in its second year of a partnership with the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Law Enforcement and Youth Partnerships for Crime Prevention to implement a national program that brings fishing and aquatic education to Boys & Girls Clubs across the country through the Future Fisherman Foundation’s Hooked on Fishing–Not on Drugs® program. The program focuses on engaging youth in positive activities that collaborate with and support local law enforcement efforts to help prevent crime in America by strengthening relationships between youth and law enforcement. Each Club selected its youth participants based on solid leadership, good behavior and demonstrated angling skills.

“These 40 young anglers represent the hundreds of youth who are a participating in this national effort to reconnect youth with nature. It is wonderful to watch them grow and develop their fishing skills, especially when they are out on the water with these “Angel Anglers” from the Bassmaster Elite Tour,” said Future Fisherman Foundation Executive Director Anne Danielski. “More importantly, they are developing self confidence and a true love of the outdoors and the water.” The “Angel Anglers” are a group of professional anglers who routinely give of their time and on-the-water experience to introduce young people to fishing.

Danielski noted, “I also want to thank BASS, Gemini Sport Marketing, Shakespeare, ZEBCO Brands, Plano Molding Company, FISHHER, TTI Blakemore Fishing Group, BoatU.S.Angler, Erie County Bassmasters and New York Sea Grant for their generous contributions of equipment in support of this program.”

“We are proud to be a part of this program,” said Janet Bell, ESPN’s Athlete Relations director. “Our anglers love to fish with these children and we all recognize how important it is to connect America’s youth to the outdoors and especially to fishing.”

New College Bass Champ

Jeremy Reese makes a custom lure that he calls, half-jokingly, “the moneymaker.” Trent Gephardt, Reese’s University of Arkansas-Little Rock fishing club teammate in the Under Armour College Bass National Championship this week, had another description for it, after the pair rode it to a tournament-best 21.07-pound sack to claim the national title.

“He has a magic jig that works on everything around here,” Gephardt said.

On the final day, the Trojans rode it to the title, storming past the 17.40-pound stringer caught by Texas A&M’s Andrew Shafer and Scott Edmonds.

Of the 54 teams who qualified for the championships, only the five with the highest combined weights on two days on the 8,900-acre Lake Maumelle advanced to fish Day Three on what was billed as a “mystery lake.” It turned out to be a couple of stocked ponds east of Little Rock that presented about 15 acres of water and a variety of options: hydrilla, underwater structure, trees.

For all the talk of a hometown advantage in the championship, UALR’s Reese and Gephardt hadn’t seen any more of the fishing there than any of the other competitors. Their natural-colored half-ounce jig - built for the Arkansas River and deployed on several area lakes - might have been the closest they came to local knowledge.

They had finishing fifth after two days, and resolved to simply fish for grins on the final day - especially after being told on stage, erroneously, that a fish-care penalty would prevent them from advancing.

“That was the biggest of highs, followed by the lowest of lows, followed by the biggest of highs again,” Gephardt said.

Even with last pick of holes in a five-hole format, the Trojans managed to whack a 4-pounder and a 5-pounder before 7:30 a.m. They were in great shape. Then the bite dried up, and they didn’t catch another keeper for hours.

After Gephardt missed a couple of fish midday, Reese said, the pair of fisheries biology majors backed off and told themselves, “let’s keep it simple.” By the time the next shotgun blast signaled time to rotate fishing holes, Reese was putting a 3-pounder in the livewell.

He soon caught another keeper after the fish got hung up in some trees. “Nine times out of 10, that goes the other way,” Reese said.

The runner-up Aggies missed a couple of fish that might have put a scare into the Trojans, but they also had to make a major move to finish as well as they did.

By the last hole, they were targeting trees that they realized had been pounded all day long. Instead, they backed off to an underwater “hump” that dropped from about 6 feet deep down to 9 with baitfish suspended around it.

Nearby, Edmonds found a stump that he dragged a jig across until a 5-pounder - the biggest caught on the day - busted on it. Between that and a second fish caught just after, the Aggies upgraded 6 pounds in the final 20 minutes.

Weights were zeroed for Day Three, yet it was curious to note that the five teams who fished the final day finished in the reverse order of where they qualified.

Faulkner State University’s Kyle Tindol and Michael Eubanks held onto third, with 17.22 pounds; the University of Alabama’s Foster Bradley and Jeff Aul managed fourth, with 14.50 pounds; and after dominating on the first two tournament days, Richard Peek and Adam Murphee of Auburn University slid to fifth place with only three fish that weighed 9.33 pounds.

“We never made the adjustments we had to make,” Murphee said from the weigh-in stage. “We were fishing 30-feet deep in 9 feet of water.”

After the weigh-in, Gephardt was beaming at their having beaten a field full of bigger schools for the championship,

“It’s amazing to come into (the finals of) an event like this and beat three other major Division I schools,” he said. “And we beat the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. I’ve always been a Hog fan, but I was glad to beat them at this.”

For more information, visit www.CollegeBass.com.

–Sam Eifling

Fishing Summer School

Educators from around the country will convene in Traverse City, Mich. July 6 - 10 for a one-of-a-kind training program to learn how to use fishing as a means to connect textbook learning to real world skills.

The Future Fisherman Foundation, the angling education arm of the American Sportfishing Association, is conducting its 6th annual Physh Ed National Education Grants training at the Northwestern Michigan College campus. Physh Ed is a grants program that provides teachers in schools across the nation with the funds and the training that will enable them to design and deliver fishing-related programming as part of their regular curriculum.

For the upcoming 2008/2009 school year, the foundation awarded grants of up to $2,500 each to teachers from 35 states. Each school will send one representative to the training where they will learn from aquatic education professionals and experts in “teaching the teachers.”

“Of course we want to get students excited about fishing and the out-of-doors,” said Anne Danielski, executive director, Future Fisherman Foundation, “but more importantly fishing can help children make the connection between the science text book and the real world.”

“I loved to fish and thought it was a great idea to get my students excited about science.” said Pete Della Ratta, a 2003 Physh Ed grant recipient and guest instructor. “Our attendance improves, our behaviors are better and our students have become very aware of aquatic conservation issues. It is a win-win for everyone!”

The workshop features casting instruction in fly- and spincasting, conservation education, lesson planning, how to develop resources and build grassroots partnerships and how to effectively evaluate your programs success.

Anglers of Tomorrow

The Under Armour College Bass National Championship, the nation’s most prestigious collegiate bass fishing tournament, today announced the launch of their new, community-focused initiative to be held on July 7, prior to the start of the 2008 championship. Anglers of Tomorrow presented by Costa Del Mar will allow local youth to learn from the country’s top young anglers at a free fishing and conservation clinic taught by the collegiate competitors themselves.

“The Under Armour College Bass National Championship was created as a way to promote bass fishing at the college level and increase interest in the sport,” said Steve Levi, general manager of fishing properties at Career Sports & Entertainment, the agency that owns the CBNC. “By pairing collegiate anglers with even younger fans of fishing, we have the chance to instill in kids a love for the outdoors at an early age.”

Anglers of Tomorrow presented by Costa Del Mar will make its debut on Monday, July 7 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Academy Sports + Outdoors in Little Rock (11400 West Markham). Ages seven and up are welcome and all attendees will receive a goodie bag and a photo with the anglers upon completion. The collegiate anglers will also be joined by Costa Del Mar Elite Series Pros Jason Quinn, Kevin Short and Todd Faircloth, who will be on hand to sign autographs and hold a drawing for a free pair of Costa Del Mar sunglasses.

In addition, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the Black Bass Program will be on hand to display their 1,000 gallon Mobile Aquarium to showcase the black bass and other Arkansas freshwater species. The AGFC is partnering with the Under Armour College Bass National Championship to supply a live release boat and fish care life support system for each day of the event.

Now in its fourth year, the Under Armour College Bass National Championship has become the nation’s most prestigious collegiate tournament for bass fishing. This year’s event will feature approximately 56 teams representing colleges and universities across the United States and will air on ESPNU later this summer.

To attend Anglers of Tomorrow presented by Costa Del Mar, RSVP to Melanie Jarrett at mjarrett@careersports.com. For more information and upcoming announcements visit www.CollegeBass.com.

Anglers of Tomorrow presented by Costa Del Mar

When: Monday, July 7 from 4:30 - 6 p.m.
Where: Academy Sports + Outdoors

11400 West Markham
Little Rock, Ark. 72211

Who: Local youth (free admission)

About the Under Armour College Bass National Championship:

Created in 2004, the Under Armour College Bass National Championship has quickly evolved into the most prestigious collegiate championship for bass fishing. This year’s event will feature approximately 56 teams representing colleges across the United States. The 2008 event will be televised on ESPNU this summer.

Sponsors of the 2008 Under Armour College Bass National Championship include Under Armour, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Strike King, Costa Del Mar, Motorguide, Triton Boats, Mercury and Falcon Rods.

About Under Armour, Inc.

Under Armour® (NYSE: UA) is a leading developer, marketer, and distributor of branded performance apparel, footwear, and accessories. The brand’s moisture-wicking synthetic fabrications are engineered in many different designs and styles for wear in nearly every climate to provide a performance alternative to traditional natural fiber products. The Company’s products are sold worldwide and worn by athletes at all levels, from youth to professional, on playing fields around the globe. The Under Armour global headquarters is in Baltimore, Maryland, with European headquarters in Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium, and additional offices in Denver, Hong Kong, Toronto, and Guangzhou, China. For further information, please visit the Company’s website at www.underarmour.com.

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