Recently, the FHU Bass Anglers have been given the opportunity to be part of a sponsorship from PureFishing.com that will give the anglers major discounts and incentives throughout their career.  

"This is what college fishing is all about.  Yes it involves competing as a school, and fishing against potentially the future pro's of America, but the opportunities that are available for us are remarkable! You just have to be willing to go out there and get them" says Anglers president Brad Martin when asked about the matter.

PureFishing.com offers the FHU Anglers a discount of 45% off of retail items that include brands such as: Abu Garcia, Berkley, Stren, Spiderwire, and many more!

Be sure to look for the new FHU Bass Anglers jerseys, supporting their newly acquired sponsors that will be arriving sometime within the next couple of months!

Recently FHU Bass Anglers president, Brad Martin re-launched the Facebook fan page for the FHU Bass Anglers.  This website was created so the general public can keep up with the anglers tournament schedule, rankings, results, and information on becoming a member.  If you would like to visit this website the address is www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=11612760374.  Join the group and support your FHU Bass Anglers! 

As the winter months are winding down, the fishing season is just beginning!  With new faces appearing, the future looks bright for the FHU Bass Anglers!

"This year is going to be a busy year" says Bass Anglers President, Brad Martin.  "There are several events coming up in 2011, it's going to be a year to introduce the new members to the environment of college fishing.  Tyler Hoffman and Chet Duke are going to have an active part on the team this year, as well as Matthew Urban." Martin added.

The FHU Bass Anglers are apart of 3 major tournament trails:  The Tennessee River Trail, Auburn Series, and FLW.  The schedules for each of the trails are listed below.

Tennessee River Trail:

Lake Guntersville, March 5

Nickajack Lake, April 2

Lake Barkley, May 14

Kentucky Lake, June 25

Tennessee River Trail Championship

Lake Chickamauga, July14-15

 

Auburn Series

Wheeler Lake, February 10-12

Lake Guntersville, March 24-26

Auburn Series Championship

Pickwick Lake, April 21-23

 

FLW

Lake Guntersville, February 26

Lake Eufaula, April 30

Pickwick Lake, June 11

FLW Regional Championship

TBA

 

The Freed-Hardeman University Bass Anglers team of Nathan Pirtle and Brad Martin were place in the 2010 top 100 Angler/Co-angler teams in the nation.  Pirtle, a senior youth ministries major, and Martin, a sophomore criminal psychology major placed 4th on Lake Chickamauga, a Tennessee River tournament in early September.  With this placement, they secured a spot in the National Guard FLW Southeast Regional Championship held in Sanford, FL.  Pirtle and Martin finished 20 in the Southeast Region, claiming their spot in the top 100 angling teams in the nation, an accomplishment Pirtle has made for the second straight year.

ORLANDO, Fla- The FHU Bass Angling team of Nathan Pirtle, and Brad Martin head to Lake Monroe October 21-23 for the FLW Southeast Regional Championship. Twenty college teams from across the region have qualified and will compete for the top prize of $50,000, which will include a Ranger 177TR with 90-horsepower outboard wrapped in school colors for their bass club and $25,000 for their school.

“We’ve just gotten our first cool snaps of the season, so the fish will be starting to get into their fall patterns,” said FLW Tour pro JT Kenney of Palm Bay, Fla., who has two wins and 27 top-10 finishes in his nine-year FLW career.

“There will be two dominant patterns in this tournament: catching schooling fish in grass patches and flipping heavy rigs in thick grass.” The key to winning any tournament in Florida is catching a limit and hoping that one is a giant, and by giant I mean a 7- to 8-pounder,” Kenney went on to say. “The fish are really active right now, especially in the morning. The kids are going to want to make sure they have two to three fish in the boat early, and they should be covering a lot of water. It’s going to take 13 to 16 pounds per day to win here.”

Kenney indicated that the weather is pretty stable right now, barring a late-season hurricane, and morning temperatures will be about 55 to 60 degrees. The anglers will take off from Monroe Harbour located at 531 N. Palmeto Ave. in Sanford, Fla., at 7 a.m. daily. Weigh-ins will be held at UCF-IOA Plaza: Bright House Networks Stadium beginning at 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday and approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday (following the football game). Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

The University of Central Florida also is hosting the College Fishing Festival throughout the three-day tournament. Students and fishing fans alike will be treated to live music, the National Guard Warrior Challenge, a Ranger Boat simulator, tailgate games, a sports zone along with contests for cash and several prize giveaways. The festival will take place at UCF-IOA Plaza: Bright House Networks Stadium from 2-4 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday. The full list of college teams competing in the Southeast Regional Championship is available online at www.collegefishing.com

The top five teams from each regional championship, 25 total teams, will advance to the 2011 National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship that will be hosted by Murray State University on Kentucky Lake, April 7-9. The National Championship is a three-day televised event. Teams will be provided jerseys and wrapped Ranger boats towed by Chevy trucks for this competition. The first-place team will win $100,000 with $50,000 of that for their school and $25,000 cash and a Ranger 177TR bass boat for their fishing club along with a berth in the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn- The Freed-Hardeman University Bass Anglers team of Nathan Pirtle and Brad Martin brought home fourth place in the final qualifying National Guard FLW College Fishing Southeast Division event on Lake Chickamauga Saturday with 3 bass weighing 7 pounds, 3 ounces.  The placement earned the team $3,000 to be split evenly between the university and the FHU Bass Anglers.  The placement also helped them advance to the Southeast Division Regional Championship in Orlando, Fla. where they could ultimately win a Ranger 177TR with a 90-horsepower engine wrapped in school colors for their school's bass club and $25,000.

"Everything seemed surprisingly easy" said Pirtle, a senior youth ministry major.  "It seemed like we could just go out there and fish."

Martin, a sophomore criminal justice major added, "We came to Chickamauga with hopes in placing top five and giving Nathan one more shot at a National Championship title, the $3,000 is just a bonus."

Rounding out the top five teams and also qualifying for the Southeast Regional Championship are:

1st-      Georgia Southern
2nd-     Georgia College and State
3rd-     Kennesaw State
4th-     Freed-Hardeman University
5th-     Troy University

The National Guard FLW College Southeast Regional Championship is scheduled for Oct. 21-23, at Lake Monroe in Orlando, Fla. The three-day tournament will be hosted by the University of Central Florida and will be televised on VERSUS Nov. 21 from 12:30 to 1:30 EST.

The top five teams from each regional championship will advance to the National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship. The National Championship is a three-day televised event hosting the top five teams from each regional, 25 total teams. Teams will be provided jerseys and wrapped Ranger boats towed by Chevy trucks for this competition.