Collegiate bass fishing doesn’t discriminate when it comes to age, gender, years of practice or experience level, but it does bring out the best in fierce competition.

That competition, fueled by long-time school rivalries and the pure spirit of college-aged competitors, debuts this week in a 26-week television series featuring the 2007 BoatU.S. National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship (NCBFC), plus coverage of regional collegiate fishing tournaments leading up to the main event.

The 2007 NCBFC, held last September on Lake Lewisville near Dallas, featured 83 teams from 48 schools across the country in contention for thousands of dollars in scholarship monies, not to mention prestige and bragging rights.

The Texas A&M team of Justin Rackley and Trevor Knight took the national title back to College Station. Details of their victory and the efforts of the other teams can be seen on the NCBFC series, which is scheduled to air on the Fox College Sports (FCS) network beginning Jan. 9. Show times are scheduled for Wednesdays at 8 p.m. and repeat airings on Sundays at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time. On the FSN Southwest network, the series begins airing on Jan. 10 at 3:30 p.m. (ET) and will continue every Thursday thereafter at the same time until early July.

A one-hour special of the championship will be featured nationwide on the Fox Sports Network (FSN) on Tuesday, Jan. 29 at 3 p.m. and will repeat on Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 11 a.m. (ET).

“The young men and women who are competing in collegiate bass fishing are a breath of fresh air in this day and time of national athletics,” said Wade Middleton, NCBFC tournament director. “For high school students and younger kids who are really looking for role models and a sport they can compete in for life, they need to tune into one of these television shows to see what this program is all about. I know I’m biased, but it’s something to make the adult generation feel really good about what is coming behind us.”

The 2007 NCBFC was the second year for the event. North Carolina State won the inaugural championship in 2006. College bass fishing clubs and teams have been on a steady increase ever since.

“Three years ago only a handful of competitive bass clubs existed at the collegiate level, now we have more than a hundred,” explained Mike Hastings, the NCBFC liaison who helps college students start fishing programs. “As programs across the country grow, so does the number of local and regional competitive fishing opportunities for them. Fishing is a healthy, wholesome activity for students everywhere.”

Schools of all sizes are currently involved in the NCBFC. In fact, on the first competition day of the 2007 championship, it was the University of Montevallo, a 3,000-student school located in Alabama, who was atop the standings over teams from the Big 12, SEC, PAC-10, Big East, Big 10, WAC and many other conferences.

In the end though, it was Rackley and Knight that took the championship trophy and $14,000 scholarship check back to Texas A&M. More than $35,000 in scholarships and prizes was divided among the top 10 teams.

“In college bass fishing, there are no glittering pep rallies or sports stadiums filled with 50,000 screaming fans. These students participate for one reason – they love catching fish.  It’s great at the end of the day to say BoatU.S. Angler helped them do that,” said Mike Pellerin, assistant vice president, BoatU.S. Angler program.

The third annual NCBFC will be held again in the fall of 2008 with more details coming soon.

The NCBFC is sponsored by BoatU.S., BoatU.S. Angler, Cabela’s, Ranger Boats, Yamaha, Garmin, Costa Del Mar, Stearns, Pioneer Beef Jerky, Anglers’ Legacy, EGO Nets, Sebile, American Rodsmiths, Aviva Fishin’ Buddy, Biosonix, Bill Lewis Lures, Gene Larew Lures, Nemire Lures, Keelshield, Minn Kota, Sperry Top-Sider, Power-Pole, Outdoor Specialty Products, City of Lewisville, Sneaky Pete’s Marina and Fox College Sports.

The BoatU.S. National Collegiate Bass Fishing Champion television series is field produced by Careco Multimedia, a full-service video production company experienced in field acquisition and editing of top quality outdoor programming. The company produces and markets several outdoor fishing programs, including IFA Redfish Tour, Fishing and Hunting Texas, Americana Outdoors and more.

For more information about the championship, participating schools and how to start a collegiate fishing club, visit www.collegiatebasschampionship.com.

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