How Far Will They Go…?

Just how dedicated is a collegiate bass angler? Jay Holland, founder of the Baylor University club team, may have set some sort of record in 2007—he slept in the back of his boat, to be able to compete in a tournament the next morning. From those humble beginnings the club has grown to 14 members, and hopes to field as many as six teams this season. They have a website (check it out at www.baylorbass.com), a Facebook page, and they even tow their boats through the university’s homecoming parade.

Club members say that people are surprised when they find out there’s a fishing club at Baylor, but it makes a lot of sense when you consider the fact that they’re located in Waco, Texas, within a six hour drive of many tournament lakes—a walk in the park, for a Texan. Many of their members, however, are from other parts of the country and they fish in many different environments. Club member Tyler Torwick, for example, has cast his line in Lake Murray, CA, where he hooked into one of the biggest bass caught by a club member, a 10-plus pounder. But the leading lunker, a fish that broke 11 pounds, was caught in Sugar Lake, Mexico, on a Yum Dinger Senko, by a Baylor bass angler with a familiar name: Alton Jones, Jr. Yes, they are related—Elite Series pro Alton Jones is his father.

With the club firmly established and finding success (members Brian Bauer and Joey Garland are currently qualified for the $50,000 FLW Texas regional Championship, a club team qualified for the $100,000 FLW National Championship, and the club had a top-five finish at a previous National Championship while setting a bag record of 22 pounds on a single day), the Baylor bassers are finding that their dedication reaps rewards. National sponsors including SanTone Lure, American Rodsmith, Lake Fork Tackle, and now EarthSports.com is sponsoring the team as well. But there’s more to be done. The club has new team members who need boats, and in the long term, the Baylor club would like to get the community involved in establishing an open tournament at Lake Wako. Ultimately, team members say they’d love to make a career in the fishing industry. And one thing’s for sure—they have the dedication to make it happen.