NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University’s Fishing Team competed at the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open on Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, Arkansas, during its second competition of the season, with freshmen Michael Watkins and Eli Lockhart sitting in sixth place after the first day before finishing 35th overall in a field of more than 300 boats.
The finish added points toward NSU’s national Team of the Year standings. The Fishing Team is aiming to finish among the top 25 schools in the nation this season.
Watkins, a graduate of Alexandria Senior High School, and Lockhart of Tioga competed against more than 300 boats during the two-day tournament.
“The first day of competition, we actually had one team come in sixth place out of 325 boats,” said NSU Fishing Team President Daniel Gallagher. “The second day they got 35th out of 325 boats.”
Gallagher said results from competitions across the Association of Collegiate Anglers, B.A.S.S. and Major League Fishing contribute to the national Team of the Year scoring system.
The Lake Dardanelle tournament followed NSU’s season-opening competition at Kentucky Lake.
Gallagher, a junior math and biology major from North Caddo, is in his third year on the Fishing Team and second year as president. He said anglers prepare for tournaments by drawing on previous experience and studying topographical information about each body of water.
“We have some guys that have been there before, so we can go off old history, stuff we’ve found, spots we know, and we can see if we can repeat those patterns,” Gallagher said. “On top of that, we use a lot of topographical maps to determine contour lines under the water and look for different kinds of structure.”
With competitions at Kentucky Lake and Lake Dardanelle complete, Gallagher said the team remains in the early part of its schedule.
“Right now, we are still at the beginning of the season this year,” Gallagher said. “We have had two tournaments so far at Kentucky Lake and at Lake Dardanelle.”
The Fishing Team is scheduled to compete next at Manchac in south Louisiana.
“We are really excited for this year,” Gallagher said. “Hopefully we are going to catch a bunch of big fish and represent Northwestern well.”