(Editor’s note: Leading up to the 2011 National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship, slated to be held April 7-9 on Kentucky Lake at Murray State University, CollegeFishing.com will be publishing semiweekly feature stories highlighting the 25 national championship qualifiers. At stake in the tournament is a first-place prize package worth $100,000 as well as a chance for the winning team to compete in the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup.)
Class: Junior
Major: Marketing and Business Education
Hometown: Menomonie, Wisc.
Other interests: I love the outdoors, so hunting is a natural second to fishing any day of the week. Even though I love fishing in the fall and it is very hard to convince myself to get off the water and into a tree stand, I still seem to manage enough time to do both. I love spending time with my family and friends going tubing down the Red Cedar River or just grilling out and having a good time. I like playing darts, shooting pool as well as playing softball. I also love participating in Wednesday night fishing tournaments on our local lake, Lake Tainter.
Class: Senior
Major: Retail Merchandising
Hometown: Colfax, Wisc.
Other interests: Bow-fishing, waterfowl hunting and deer hunting are some of my other interests.
Q&A
CollegeFishing.com: How were you introduced to fishing?
Helke: I started fishing for panfish and walleye when I was around 7 or 8 years old with a good old Zebco rod. Growing up my stepdad was a big walleye fisherman so I too grew fond of walleye. I didn’t become more than a weekend angler until I met my partner Jeremy in the later years of high school. This is when I found bass fishing. Ever since then, I just kept on learning more and more about the sport and tournament fishing in general. Now I am 100-percent addicted.
Anibas: I was introduced to fishing by my dad. He used to take me to the river and we would catch red horse, suckers, and occasionally a bass or walleye.
CollegeFishing.com: What style/method of fishing are you most comfortable with?
Helke: Hands down, I am most comfortable power fishing. Give me a heavy rod and some thick cover – whether it be grass or lay-downs – and I will find those fish with a jig or Texas-rigged soft plastic. I also have a ton of confidence in my frog-fishing abilities.
Anibas: I am most comfortable with power fishing. I like pitching a jig or a Texas rig in and around brush and weeds. I also love throwing frogs, spinner baits, and shallow crankbaits.
CollegeFishing.com: What did it feel like to qualify for the 2011 FLW College Fishing National Championship? How do you plan to prepare for the big event?
Helke: Kentucky Lake can be a challenge to figure out but if and when you do, you can load up the boat in a hurry. We also are going to try and pre-fish up until the off-limits time on the lake. This will give us a good idea of where the water level is going to be during the tournament as well as where the fish should be during tournament days.
Kyle and I also intend to spend a lot of time on Kentucky Lake before the cut-off.
Anibas: Qualifying for the National Championship felt amazing; it was a huge accomplishment for us. Knowing that we can compete with some of the best fishing schools in the nation still gives me goose bumps.
To prepare for the big event we plan on trying to make a few trips to the lake for pre-fishing. We’ll also be studying fishing forums and fishing reports as the tournament gets closer.
CollegeFishing.com: Tell us something interesting about yourself that most people wouldn’t know.
Helke: I am terrified of needles so I and doctors don’t get along to well. But I don’t feel guilty piercing a largemouth bass lip whatsoever.
Anibas: Something that most people would not know about me is that I like bow-fishing just as much as I love bass fishing. There are a lot of areas to bow-fish around here. We have two lakes right around Stout and the Mississippi River is only around an hour away.