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BY COPELAND WELCH / Managing Editor
Many people have activities they remember doing since before they could walk, for Luke Lewis, this activity is fishing. He has been learning the craft, baiting the hooks and helping his dad with everything outdoor-related since he was “in the womb.”
Lewis is a recent graduate from Tarleton and is now pursuing a master’s degree in accounting. He hopes to eventually take the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam and begin a career as a CPA.
After graduating high school, Lewis began looking at colleges and ultimately decided to attend Tarleton for their distinguished Bass Fishing Club.
“The Tarleton Bass Club is often the highest ranked public university in Texas and we do very well at the national level too, especially for the size of our team and our school and the distance that we have to travel to all of the tournaments, which is a big part of it,” Lewis said.
“We compete with the best and we have a lot of prestige in the bass fishing world.”
As Lewis likes to say, The Bass Fishing Club is “a brotherhood” and it’s “its own fraternity.”
“There are not a lot of groups of men out there that take care of each other as well as the bass club does,” Lewis said.
“We try to always hold each other accountable at a really high level and the amount of work it takes when you’re on the road two to three weeks out of the month keeping your school up and … it’s a bond that is incredible, it’s the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of and I think that the Bass Club is the best organization that I’ve ever known.”
The Bass Club is not designed for only males. If you are a female and you enjoy “rippin’ lips”, you can join too. In fact, there are two female officers on the team, Carson Dugger, who serves as treasurer and Jordan Kenny, the secretary.
Lewis cherishes many of the memories he has made while being a member of the Bass Fishing Club, but he has one in particular that holds a special place in his heart.
“Catching fish is always fun, you know, every member on the team has got their favorite big catch or their favorite deal, it’s hard to narrow that down, but I remember the National Championship of 2022 on Fort Gibson Lake in Oklahoma, and all the guys stayed at a club sponsored house, and we had a really good time all just getting ready and having all my buddies up there,” Lewis said.
The Bass Fishing Club travels frequently for tournaments, often out of state, but Lewis believes the tournament in Florida takes the cake for the coolest trip the club has taken.
“The Harris Chain of Lakes in Florida was one of the coolest places, we went in February when everything was really cold here and it was warm there and the fish were active, and clear water, like textbook bass fishing, looks like it came out of a magazine …, that was a really, really cool trip,” Lewis said.
The Bass Fishing Club is a big time commitment, but Lewis and his partner, Blake Martinez, have found ways to stay on top of their schoolwork.
“Maybe, you know, one guy is driving halfway to a tournament and the other guy is sitting shotgun studying, or taking notes or what not, people have to make sacrifices for it but it’s a lot of hard-working guys that handle their business well, and it’s just all about dedication and good discipline because it can hard for sure,” Lewis said.
Lewis believes that The Bass Fishing Club can open many doors to new opportunities, in fact he was even able to do an internship in Soldotna, Alaska, thanks to his experience and education he has earned at Tarleton.
“If anyone is interested in seeing the great outdoors in its purest form, and catching trophy salmon with me as your guide, contact Alaskan Widespread Fishing Adventures to book your next adventure,” Lewis said.
If you are interested in learning more about fishing opportunities in Alaska, check out www.widespreadfishing.com or email [email protected]. You can contact Luke Lewis at [email protected] for information regarding the Bass Fishing Club at Tarleton, and his experiences working in Alaska.
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