For most, fishing is just a relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
The Auburn Bass Fishing Club has a bit more invested in the relaxing activity.
Spending the first weekend of Thanksgiving break in Sanford, Fla., the bass fishing club fought for fish and respect in the National Guard FLW College Fishing Southeast Regional on Lake Monroe.
They got both.
The club had two teams finish in the top five, qualifying them for the national tournament in Knoxville, April 10-12.
"We did an amazing job," said Richard Peek, recent Auburn graduate and angler in the club. "To have three teams qualify for regionals, two teams finish in the top five and qualify for nationals really says a lot about the caliber of anglers we have at Auburn."
Peek and partner Caleb Rodgers finished third in the tournament.
Peek, who graduated in May, qualified for the tournament while he was still enrolled at Auburn, making him eligible to fish in the regional and national tournaments.
"Our performance in Florida was a good representation of how great the Auburn Bass Fishing team really is," said Rodgers, senior in civil engineering. "The fishing was tough, and we were able to capitalize on what little bites we had."
The duo of Shaye Baker and Dennis Parker finished second in the regional tournament, falling just behind the winning team of Jake Gipson and Matthew Wercinski of the University of Florida.
"I was proud of all my teammates, and my partner in particular," Baker said. "The lake was really tough, and it took a lot of mental focus to get the job done."
Baker and Parker reeled in 18 bass, weighing 27-11, which won them $25,000.
Peek and Rodgers pulled in 14 bass, weighing 20-2 and winning them a total of $11,000.
Partners JT Murphy and Sam Rochell competed in the regional competition as well, but after three tough days of fishing, the team came up short and did not place.
"JT and I definitely struggled, but it was a learning experience, and we still had a blast," Rochell said.
Despite having trouble adapting to Florida fishing, Murphy and Rochell said they felt great about how Auburn performed and supported each other as partners.
"Even though we did not do as well as we hoped, I could not have asked for a better partner than Sam," Murphy said. "He is a great fisherman, and one day we will be watching him fish on television."
The other two teams agreed having a partner on the boat is essential for a successful tournament.
"Having the support and someone to bounce ideas off is crucial," Baker said.
In collegiate fishing, anglers fish in teams of two.
Schools can send two-person teams to each of the four qualifying events in their region.
Each team has the chance to win $10,000 for first and $2,000 through fifth place, with the prize money being split evenly between the winning team's club and the university it represents.
At the national championship, Baker and Parker and Peek and Rodgers will be competing for $25,000 cash, a $25,000 Ranger bass boat and $50,000 for the University.
With stakes this high, the anglers said that they have already begun preparing for the tournament, even though it's five months away.
"I have been studying lake maps and plan on visiting the lake within a couple of weeks," Peek said. "There is just too much riding on winning nationals to not put every free weekend I have into fishing."
Parker agreed and said that it will be difficult to learn the Telico lakes.
"It will be hard because the lake will be constantly changing," Parker said. "The more time we spend on the lake, the more prepared we will be if weather, lake levels or season tries to throw us a curve."
With two teams competing there in April, Auburn Bass Fishing has put itself on the collegiate fishing map.
"Talking to some of the guys from other schools in Florida really opened my eyes as to how respected our club is within the college fishing world," Rochell said.
The Southeast regional tournament will air on Versus, Dec. 27.
The Auburn Bass Fishing Club meets bimonthly and welcomes new members. The next tournament is Saturday on Lake Martin in Alexander City.
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