College Bass Fishing News

Whitney Cummins, Arizona State University
Whitney Cummins is the first woman to join the Arizona State fishing team. She has only been fishing since January and says that most of her knowledge has come from the fishing club. The excitement she has for the sport can be heard in her voice when she talks about it.

“I used to want clothes for my birthday. Now I want a baitcast reel,” she said. Cummins fished all of the Arizona State qualifying tournaments this past spring and took fifth in her very first event.

“It’s great competing against the guys. I haven’t been fishing long, but with a little more time I will do just as well as any of the guys,” she said. “I can’t wait to compete against other colleges. That’s what I’m excited about the most. We are going to give Texas A&M a run for their money.”

Cummins likes the aspect of young women competing in the national championship. “It really spices things up,” she exclaimed.

Kat Cammack, Metropolitan State College of Denver
Kat Cammack was integral in start the bass club at the Metropolitan State College of Denver. Cammack said she and BoatU.S. NCBFC partner Adam McHenry were up until 4 a.m. with a pot of coffee, writing a constitution for their club just last month. Cammack and McHenry are happy to be in this year’s competition, with their school’s club just becoming recognized last week.

“I have been fishing since I was 2 years old. I can remember my mom getting my sister and me up at 4 a.m. to go fishing. I have been bass fishing since I was 13 or 14,” Cammack said. “I’ve learned almost everything I know about fishing from my mom. My mom used to fish tournaments in the mid 80s. She was still fishing tournaments when she was nine months pregnant with me. My mom is my fishing idol! She is the greatest female angler ever. She knows more about fishing than anyone I know.”

Cammack and her partner are also very excited to be fishing this year’s championship out of her mother’s old tournament boat. This will be the first tournament that Cammack and McHenry will have ever fished, but she is confident they will do well.

“I went to 14 local tackle shops looking for a secret bait,” Cummins said. She wouldn’t go into detail about the baits, but said, “My mom used to use them.” As one of two girls in the fishing club, Cammack says, “We are just one of the fellas. That is one of my favorite aspects of collegiate fishing; a woman can fish just as well as a man.”

Taryn Bishop & Tiffany Spencer, University of Texas at Arlington
Taryn Bishop and her partner Tiffany Spencer will make history at this year’s championship, being the first all-female team to ever compete in the national event. Bishop and Spencer are members of the University of Texas – Arlington bass club and have fished together for about a year. They said that they are seen as equals in their club.

“I think more girls should start fishing,” Bishop said. Bishop has been fishing for three years and has competed in a few tournaments with the club. The BoatU.S. NCBFC will be her biggest event by far.

“Tiffany fished the tournament last year, so she kind of knows the lake. She will run the boat, but we will be finding fish together,” Bishop said. “It’s awesome that there is a sport that guys and girls can compete like this. It is cool meeting so many people from so many different places, too. We are excited to give it all we’ve got!”

Alicia Mohler, Webber International University
Alicia Mohler has to make time for two sports in her college career. Mohler is not only a member of the Webber International University (Florida) bass team, she also plays volleyball for the university.

Mohler said she is used to competing against guys.

“We practice against the guys sometimes in volleyball. It pushes both the guys and the girls to be better. There are some guys that think they are better than women at fishing, but I have caught fish behind some guys that they wouldn’t have caught,” Mohler said. “Guys don’t have any advantage. I can cast just as well as they can.”

Mohler says that she tries to fish as much as she can. She even leaves some of her rods and fishing gear in the athletic department so she can fish if she gets some extra time.

“If a woman were to win the championship, I definitely think it will make a statement. It might open the eyes of some people who think girls can’t fish,” she said with confidence in her voice.

Courtney Caruthers, Texas Tech University
Texas Tech’s Courtney Caruthers has only been bass fishing since January, but she already may have the biggest bass out of anyone in the field. The first time she ever went bass fishing, she caught an impressive 12-pounder.  Caruthers is fishing with her boyfriend in this year’s BoatU.S. NCBFC.

"I'm not doing this to prove anything to anyone. I'm doing this for me," she said.  "It would be the ultimate to win, represent Texas Tech and beat Texas A&M. It would be awesome."

With college fishing spreading like wild fire, and so many talented young women competing, this could indeed be the first year for a woman angler to take the championship title.

See more BoatU.S. NCBFC coverage.