Hometown favorites, Aaron Sistrunk and Jeffrey Rich of Northwestern State said they're looking for a big comeback on day two. Photo by David A. Brown. Anglers: Aaron Sistrunk, Jeffrey Rich.

February 25, 2010 • Patrick Baker • Abu Garcia College Fishing

(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.)

Name: Jeff Rich (pictured at right)

Class: senior

Major: Business Administration

Hometown: Alexandria, La.

Other interests: duck and deer hunting, redfish and speckled trout fishing

Name: Aaron Sistrunk (pictured at left)

Class: alumnus

Major: Industrial Engineering

Hometown: Converse, La.

Other interests: hunting, working

University Web site: nsula.edu

Q&A

CollegeFishing.com: How were you introduced to fishing?

Rich: My dad brought me saltwater fishing when I was very young at Matagorda Bay. Ever since then I have had a big passion for fishing.

Sistrunk: I was born on Toledo Bend. Fishing has been in my blood for generations. Our family has fished since it was a necessity to survive. My father introduced me to it before I can remember.

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

Rich: I like to fish fast, throwing spinnerbaits and crankbaits. I also love to sight-fish.

Sistrunk: I am most definitely a power-fisherman. Flipping with heavy line is my thing.

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

Rich: It’s a great honor to qualify for the first National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship. It was a great feeling to make it. It never sank in during the regional because I was more focused on winning on our home lake.

Sistrunk: It felt great to qualify for the national championship. The tournaments leading up to the championship were on my home waters, so it would have been embarrassing not to qualify.

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

Rich: I like going out to a camp with a fire, singing old Hank Williams Jr. and Justin Moore songs with adult beverages.

Sistrunk: That I have a smoking-hot, red-headed girlfriend.