Meet the Hokies

Virginia Tech heading to CF National Championship

Virginia Tech anglers Charlie Machek and Scott Wiley plan to tap their previous experience on Lake Norman. Photo by Brett Carlson. Anglers: Scott Wiley, Charlie Machek.

January 18, 2010 • Brett Carlson • 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: Charlie Machek (pictured at left)

Class: alumnus

Major: Building Construction

Hometown: Midlothian Va.

Other interests: saltwater fishing, snowboarding, golf, basketball. I will play any sport if there is a game to be played. I love competition.

Name: Scott Wiley (pictured at right)

Class: alumnus

Major: Landscape Architecture

Hometown: Richmond, Va.

Other interests: playing basketball, running, cooking, being outdoors

Club Web site: bassfishingteamatvt.com

Q&A

CollegeFishing.com: How were you introduced to fishing?

Machek: My dad introduced me to fishing when I was little. We used to fish out of whatever we could – blow-up rafts, canoes, the bank. We have even been trolling on a jet ski before. I started tournament fishing when I was a freshman in college when Scott, Brett and I started the Virginia Tech bass fishing team.

Wiley: Our neighborhood was built around a 1,700 acre lake and my mom and dad used to take me to the dock near our house to catch panfish and occasionally bass. The green fish always intrigued me and eventually I got a jon boat to take out to the lake and pattern bass. The jon boat turned to a bass boat and the bass boat allowed me to fish tournaments and I have been obsessed ever since.

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

Machek: Any kind. I take pride in being able to use a number of different techniques if the conditions call for it. One lure that I always have tied on is a shaky head, but one of my favorite lures is a monster worm.

Wiley: I am a finesse fisherman by nature and have been surrounded by lakes that suit that style. I would say that I am fairly versatile though and can usually adapt to whatever style is dominant on a lake at any time.

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

Machek: It was awesome. Scott and I graduated in 2009, but because this is technically still the 2009 College Fishing National Championship we are able to compete. Every tournament that we fished last year could have been our last. We won on Gaston and took second at regionals on Norman. Every tournament feels like you are fishing for you life, and it is exciting. The upcoming National Championship is the last college tournament that I will ever fish, and I plan on giving it everything that I have in me.

We will make a trip to the lake before the official practice just to see it. It will be too early to tell what the fish will be doing during the tournament, but seeing the lake is always a big help.

Wiley: Considering my partner and I did not qualify for the regional until the last event, we were ecstatic just to make it to the regional. After leading on Lake Norman after day one, the National Championship became a reality. I can not express what it would mean to me if my partner and I qualify to fish the Forest Wood Cup – unbelievable!

Charlie and I are looking for a weekend where temperatures are above freezing and snow is not in the forecast. Time on the water is what earned us second place at Norman and if we can get up to Tellico for at least 10 days throughout a period of two to three months then we will be right where we want to be. Those few days on the water before the event are going to be critical, especially if those fish are moving up like they should be that time of year. Waypoints on the GPS will play a huge role in winning this event.

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

Machek: I can not fish sitting down. My arms for some reason forget how to fish when I sit.

Wiley: Most people wouldn’t know that I had a 1985 Ranger Boat wrapped in Virginia Tech colors and decked out with our sponsors. I have since handed it down to a younger guy in the club to make sure it stays with the team for a few more years.