Srping Breakout Winners

68 collegiate anglers from 12 universities throughout the state of Texas converged on Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir just outside of Killeen, Texas this past weekend to determine which Texas school has the best collegiate bass fishing program in the Lonestar state. Motivated by school pride and a strong desire to fish competitively, these anglers fished for bragging rights and prizes provided by several tournament sponsors.

These determined anglers braved extremely cold, rainy conditions during both practice days in preparation for this event, which was sanctioned by the Association of Collegiate Anglers (ACA). The clouds dried up by the start of the tournament but it remained cold with temperatures lingering in the 30's until almost noon and slowly warming into the upper 40's by weigh in time.

Division one schools such as Baylor, University of Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech, as well as several smaller Texas colleges such as Tarleton State, Stephen F. Austin, Midwestern State, Sam Huston State and The University of Texas at Arlington were represented by their fishing clubs. At the conclusion of the incredibly dramatic weigh in, it was Jerod Hawkes & Daniel Brock representing Texas A&M Kingsville edging out Clint Nowell and Kevin Burke of Sam Houston State by a mere two hundredths of a pound. Jerod and Daniel came close to winning the 2008 BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship when they finished fourth out of a field of 97 teams representing the nation's best collegiate bass anglers.

"We keyed on chunk rock banks that had scattered brush or laydowns on them between 7 and 10 feet deep using a Norman Middle N in the Brown Trout and Gobbie colors. All told during the day we caught about 30 fish with our best bites coming after 10:30AM" commented Jerod Hawkes. "It's a great feat to win this event and we're proud to bring the win home for Texas A&M Kingsville," commented Daniel Brock.

The Texas A&M Kingsville team won a variety of prizes including the Cabela's Collegiate Cup ($350 gift card), Pure Fishing Big Bag Award ($500 tackle), and Motor Guide trolling motor plus free lodging at the BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship scheduled for May 25-29 at Lake Lewisville, TX.

2nd Place went to Clint Nowell and Kevin Burke of Sam Houston State who weighed in 17.80 pounds. The team weighed in only four fish. However, one of them was a 10.61 pound behemoth which is the biggest bass caught in the history of ACA competition. The big bass qualified Clint Nowell for an all expenses paid trip to Lago Vista Lodge located at Lake Guerrero, Mexico. Because Nowell was using an All Star rod, the team won the Berkley Big Bass awards of (2) All Star rods. They also collected Frogg Toggs raingear, Costa Del Mar sunglasses and an assortment of Sebile lures for their 2nd place finish.

"I was making really long casts with 10 pound Berkley Big Game line using a Double ZZ Custom baits 5 inch finesse worm on a shaky head in Nuclear Melon color. We were fishing in about 6 foot of water when she bit and after she jumped the first time my partner and I almost died as we started raising the trolling motor and engine as she ran straight at and under the boat. After peeling line and getting her back around toward us she jumped two more times but on the second jump my partner was able to scoop up the biggest bass of my life" Clint Nowell from Sam Houston State.

Nowell and Burke demonstrated their versatility by using a variety of techniques throughout the day to catch their fish. One bass came on a crankbait from a brushpile positioned on a flat. Two fell for Texas rigged Senkos fished in 13 - 20 foot deep standing timber and the big bass was tempted by a shaky head worm rigged on light spinning tackle fished along a rocky point.

The 2009 Lonestar Spring Breakout event will be featured on the BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship television series airing on the Versus network this fall. Camera and production crews from LoneStar Sports Network were also on hand to gather footage for a one hour special featuring collegiate bass fishing that will air in April.

Next week the ACA will visit Lake Dardanelle, Arkansas where over 120 collegiate anglers from across the nation will gather to contest the Arkansas Tech University Invitational. For more information, photos from this event and other collegiate bass fishing news go to www.collegiatebasschampionship.com.

For complete results of the 2009 LoneStar Spring Breakout, click here.

National Sponsors of BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship and Association of Collegiate Anglers include: BoatU.S., Cabelas, BoatU.S. Angler, Ranger Boats, TruckVault, Costa Del Mar, Berkley, Aviva Fishin Buddy, Activision, Sperry Top Sider, Sebile Lures, Frogg Toggs, Columbia Sportswear, Yamaha, Plano, Garmin, Power Pole, All Star Rods, Abu Garcia, Gemini Custom Apparel, Lago Vista Lodge, Motor Guide, City of Lewisville, Sneaky Pete's, The Bass Federation, Anglers Legacy, Benton County/Camden Chamber of Commerce.

Local Sponsors: Killeen Convention & Visitors Bureau, Gary's Marine, Marine Outlet, Wal Mart, Tightlines Premium Tackle, Shilo Inn, Custom Catering by Bobby Grant, Reddy Ice, Holiday Inn of Killeen.