Meet the Bulldogs
Clark and McCarthy of Truman State University share their thoughts about qualifying for the 2011 National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship
(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: Senior
Major: Biology
Hometown: Florissant, Mo.
Other interests: When I am not doing fishing-related activities, I like to hang out with my girlfriend, lift weights, party like a rock star, cook, watch movies and listen to music.
Class: Fifth year graduate student
Major: Accounting
Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.
Other interests: I also play soccer.
Q&A
CollegeFishing.com: How were you introduced to fishing?
Clark: Unlike a lot of anglers, I didn’t grow up in a fishing family. Nobody else in my family fishes! My grandpa really liked to play golf and he used to take me along with him to the golf course all the time. I must have been about 3 or 4 years old and one day there was a guy fishing on one of the golf course ponds and he had a bucket with a couple of catfish in it that he had just caught. I remember seeing those big catfish in the bucket and just thinking that it was so cool. For the next couple of days I going crazy, running around the house with a piece of string and a safety pin tied on the end of it begging my parents to take me fishing. My mom finally gave in and took me up to the local Service Merchandise up the street. She got me one of those kids’ fishing combos. We went to Saint Ferdinand Pond and I remember us not knowing how to get the rod and reel to work at all – or even how to tie a knot. Luckily that day there was a guy fishing at the pond and he just happened to be a writer for Field and Stream magazine. He saw that we were having some difficulties getting started so he came over and helped us get everything set up. I finally made my first cast and ever since that day I have been hooked on fishing. My parents and grandparents always made time to take me fishing even though they didn’t fish. I remember all the weekends and summer days that my parents would drop me off at various ponds early in the morning before they had to go to work. Then they would pick me up on their way home. When I go home from college, I still like to fish some of these same places. But it just blows my mind that this is how it all started.
McCarthy: I was introduced to fishing by my dad at a very, very young age and I have had a passion for fishing ever since. No matter where my dad went fishing, he would take me with him. For example, when he’d go trout fishing, I’d be in my playpen watching from the bank.
CollegeFishing.com: What style/method of fishing are you most comfortable with?
Clark: I really like power-fishing techniques. I like to throw spinnerbaits, crankbaits, buzzbaits and flipping jigs or beaver baits with a flipping stick. My all-time favorite bait to catch fish on would have to be a frog. I grew up fishing a lot of the lakes in Illinois where the fish don’t go very deep and where there can be a ton of grass.
McCarthy: I’m most comfortable throwing plastics.
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?
Clark: Qualifying for the National Championship was my top goal this year and to be able to accomplish that feels great. I plan on preparing for the big event by heading out to Kentucky Lake and just doing a lot of looking around. I am going to make sure that I have all the baits and tackle that I think I will need for the tournament as well. One of the things I have learned over the past couple of years is that a lot of time your success can be attributed to how well prepared you are heading into a tournament. It’s hard to make the adjustments to catch your fish if you don’t have the bait on hand or tackle that you need. I will make sure that I have all of the stuff that I can control taken care of first as that will allow me to have a clear head and just go fishing. Kentucky Lake is one of those lakes where you have to be on the big fish to win. It’s a lot different than Lake Monroe, Ind., where it seems like you just have to catch keepers to do okay. I imagine it is going to take a lot of big fish all week long in order to have a chance there. Kentucky Lake is one of the best lakes in the country and I think with the group of anglers we are going to have in this tournament, you are going to have to go big every day.
McCarthy: It was a tremendous accomplishment. I can’t even describe the feeling. I plan on preparing for the event by doing a lot of research through map study and making sure that all of my equipment is ready for the tournament.
CollegeFishing.com: Tell us something interesting about yourself that most people wouldn’t know.
Clark: All throughout high school I played a ton of ice hockey and baseball. Who knows how many hours I spent on a baseball diamond or at the ice rink? I still like to break out the skates a couple of times a year and bring out the bat to show off. While I miss my baseball and hockey days, my passion has always been fishing and I am glad I get to still compete at that.
McCarthy: I am engaged to be married in June 2011 to Lindsey Fraticola. I’d also rather go to the Lake of the Ozarks for a fishing trip than go on a Caribbean vacation. Also, my room is decorated with eight mounted fish and I am getting my masters in accounting.