The J-TAC

Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: Campus Life

Media Credit: Gayle Spearman John Anderson and Tanner Morgan placed third in the National Guard FLW College Fishing Regional Championship for the Texas Division on Sibley Lake outside of Natchitoches, La. to qualify for the national tournament in Tennessee.

Two Tarleton Bass Club members, John Anderson and Tanner Morgan, know a thing or two when it comes to fishing. They recently qualified for the national tournament after taking third place in the National Guard FLW College Fishing Regional Championship for the Texas Division.

The regional tournament was held Nov 14-16 at Sibley Lake outside of Natchitoches, La.

Anderson, a junior agricultural services and development major, and Morgan, a senior wildlife management major, can be seen on the water with rod and reel in hand several days a week. Both have been fishing since they were about four years old.

The weekend before the tournament the duo traveled to Sibley Lake to practice.

"We went around the lake and looked for different depth contours and tried to figure out where the fish might be and what they might do," Anderson said.

However, at the start of the tournament, things did not go the way the fishermen had planned.

After the first day, Anderson and Morgan found themselves in fifteenth place, struggling to make it to the top five. Finally, on day two, things began to go in their favor.

"We caught lots of fish in practice, but the fish moved a lot on us. But we finally found them on day two," Anderson added.

"We had a good day two," Morgan added. "We were right on the bubble to determine whether we were going to make the top 5 or not."

The duo placed third behind Texas A&M University and Texas State University, respectively.

But winning third place secured a spot in the national tournament in Tennessee for Anderson and Morgan; they were also awarded $5,500 for the university and the Bass Club.

The duo plans to continue fishing regularly and to attend other collegiate fishing tournaments for practice.

"We're going to spend time on the water and practice and head to Tennessee a couple of times to do some additional practice fishing," Morgan said.

Tarleton's bass club began in 2006, with Morgan as the founding president. Sponsors of the organization include Sébile Innovations in Abilene, Texas, American Rodsmiths in Houston, Lake Fork Tackle in Emory Texas along with Tackle Warehouse and Bassaholics in California.

For more information on the regional and national tournaments, visit www.collegefishing.com.

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