If you stop by the Dairy Queen or Substation II restaurants in Shelby, N.C., you’re likely to find FLW Tour pro Matt Arey meeting with the Gardner-Webb University fishing team in preparation for upcoming college tournaments.
Arey, a native of Shelby, started his career by fishing the co-angler side of the sport in the early 2000s. After winning the Forrest Wood Cup in 2006, he launched his professional career where he has been a consistent and solid angler for many years. Currently, Arey sits in 14th place in the FLW Tour Angler of the Year race with two events left in the 2012 season.
In part because of Arey’s help, the GWU fishing team has greatly improved its performance. Most recently at Lake Guntersville, GWU anglers Kyle Creed and Randal Lockhart placed seventh at the National Guard FLW College Fishing Southeastern Conference Tournament. This was the first top-10 finish for the club.
GWU is thankful to Arey for his time, expertise, professionalism and all around fun attitude. He truly loves the college students he works with, wants to see them succeed and is willing to provide years of knowledge and advice to these college anglers. A graduate of N.C. State University, Arey wishes his school had a bass club when he was enrolled; he would have definitely been a part of it.
Arey is just one example of the type of help and assistance the GWU club receives from the top minds of professional bass fishing. In March 2011, GWU hosted Chevy pro Bryan Thrift for a night of conversation, strategy, techniques and giveaways.
When Arey isn’t competing in bass tournaments, he is an accomplished hunting and fishing guide in the foothills of North Carolina. If you want to experience time out on the water catching a ton of bass or stalk your prey out in the woods, look no further. Matt can be booked for a fishing or hunting adventure by visiting his guide service website at www.rackandreeloutfitters.com.