Meet the Bears

Baylor University heading to CF National Championship

(Editor’s note: Leading up to the inaugural National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship, which will be held at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., April 10-12, CollegeFishing.com will post semiweekly feature stories highlighting the 25 teams that qualified. At stake in the tournament is a prize package of $100,000 and a chance to compete in the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup.)

Club Web site: BaylorBass.com

Q&A

CollegeFishing.com: How were you introduced to fishing?

McAdams: My dad introduced me to fishing as young as I could hold a rod. My dad was an Angler’s Choice pro at the time, but since I was unable to tour with him, I had to start fishing in small tanks and at Lake Waco.

Holland: I was introduced to fishing by one my good friends, Thomas Tugwell, and his dad in Monroe, La. We used to take fishing trips to his lake house, where we fished for catfish and crappie. We caught more fish off his boat dock than I have ever caught out of a boat.

CollegeFishing.com: What style of fishing are you most comfortable with?

McAdams: These days, my favorite style of fishing depends on how I can catch them in a tournament. If I am fun fishing, I am most comfortable flipping/pitching shallow cover, mixing in a square-bill crankbait. My favorite pattern is a great buzzbait bite.

Holland: Flipping visual targets.

CollegeFishing.com: What did it feel like to qualify for the inaugural National Championship? How do you plan to prepare for the big event?

McAdams: Well, obviously to be a part of something for the first time is an honor. While confident we could accomplish our goals, Jay and I are very humbled to be in this unique position. More than any other collegiate circuit, Jay and I fished FLW National Guard College Fishing, and it meant the most to us. I feel that having to battle through the Texas Division was one of the hardest things to do. Obviously, becoming a professional fisherman is a dream for me; FLW College Fishing gives us that opportunity. However, being a senior (during the circuit’s first year), we only had one shot at it. So, more than it being the first FLW College Fishing National Championship, we wanted College Fishing to take us as far as we could go.

Jay and I plan on visiting Tellico/Fort Loudoun over the spring break time and also the two weeks before the off-limits starts. For us, we do not want to feel we did not put our time in enough to make the final day. Three weeks on the water, coming from Texas, will be difficult financially, but, hey, when will you get to fish for the Cup and $100,000 against only 24 other teams?

Holland: It felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Andrew and I worked hard in the qualifying events and did not cash a check in those four tournaments. It always felt like we were one fish away from making the event. We sneaked in at Lake Amistad with an eighth-place finish and made the regional. Once we hit the regional, things just clicked for us and we had a good finish.

Andrew and I plan on heading to Tellico in March for a week during spring break to practice. We have been looking at some maps to locate some good areas for the tournament in April. Andrew and I are planning to fish several tournaments throughout the spring so we are clicking together to get ready for the National Championship.

CollegeFishing.com: Tell us something interesting about yourself that most people wouldn’t know.

McAdams: I can count to 100 in three languages – English, Spanish and German.

Holland: I didn’t fish my first tournament until I was 18.