October 1, 2019
SOURCE: Will Thornhill, Staff Writer, Technician
The NC State Bass Fishing team, better known as the BassPack, has been one of the more successful club sports teams at NC State. It has won three national championships, in 2006, 2009 and 2012. Basspack President Gilliam Tharpe said with a new season comes new goals for the Basspack, which fishes in three tournaments in the fall and at least three in the spring, depending on qualifiers for the bigger tournaments. “I would say goals for the season would obviously be try to get more boaters, because the more boats we have, the more guys we can get involved who don’t have boats,” Tharpe said. “That’s one big thing.”
At their September meeting, Tharpe said, the Basspack had around 40 members, but unfortunately, it can’t send all 40 to every tournament. In order to ensure that each member gains opportunities throughout the semester, Tharpe said the team holds a lottery system to see who gets to fish, with senior club members getting priority. If a member does not get to fish in one tournament, their name will be put in the front of the system for the next one.
“So far, attendance has been pretty good, but … it’s tough with the amount of boaters we have, just because we can only go as far as our boaters take us,” Tharpe said. “But so far so good.” The Basspack had its first tournament on Sept. 15 at Falls Lake in Wake Forest, according to Tharpe. He said the team sent 10 boats, which in total was 20 anglers. Tournaments are long days for the team, from getting to the lake before sunrise to fishing on the boat for eight hours until weigh-in. The team stays patient and looks for the right time to try and catch the big one.
According to Tharpe, Andrew Garrett caught the big one at Falls Lake, totaling 9.53 pounds to lead the Basspack. Josh Frederick followed at 7.12 pounds, and then Spence Hutcheson came in at 5.40 pounds to round out the top three performers for the Basspack. The next tournament for the Basspack is a special one: the third annual Fishing for Cures Tournament at Jordan Lake on Oct. 12. The Basspack partners with the American Cancer Society to raise money for cancer research. This tournament is open to anyone who would like to participate. A $100 entry fee is required per boat.
Tharpe said the Basspack plans on participating in one more tournament after the Jordan Lake tournament to conclude its fall season. This team has had much success and is looking to continue it, and with big club numbers, don’t be surprised if you see the Basspack thrive as one of the most successful club sports at NC State.