(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: Criminal Justice but hopefully switching to Nursing in the spring
Hometown: Kennesaw, Ga.
Other interests: Hunting, camping and four-wheeling
Class: Sophomore
Major: Nursing
Hometown: Simi Valley, Calif.
Other interests: Downhill mountain biking
Q&A
CollegeFishing.com: How were you introduced to fishing?
Akin: My dad use to take me as a kid a good bit and then one of my friends got into bass fishing and I started pond hopping with him and eventually started tournament fishing.
Frink: I was introduced to fishing around the third grade. My dad and I went to Lake Piru in southern California. We had a rental boat and I caught about a 5 1/2-pound bass and from then on I was hooked. I would get home from school, get my homework done, ride to the local duck pond and fish for bass and catfish.
CollegeFishing.com: What style/method of fishing are you most comfortable with?
Akin: I am probably most comfortable with finesse fishing since I do a lot of it living where I live. The lakes closest to home are deep and clear with spotted bass in them so we use shaky heads and drop-shots a lot.
Frink: I feel pretty comfortable fishing just about any style. I feel most comfortable offshore fishing though, throwing a deep crankbait or a drop-shot.
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?
Akin: It was an amazing feeling to qualify. Last year we came up 1 ounce short of qualifying and were heartbroken, so not falling short again this year felt good. We will prepare for this event by prefishing Kentucky Lake as much as we can. My partner has some experience there and hopefully that will help us.
Frink: I was an awesome feeling when we weighed in and knew for sure that we had made it. We had a tough day on the water so we thought that we blew it again on day two just like we did the year before.
I am going to try to prefish Kentucky Lake as much as I can. Part of the challenge of fishing for me is going out and finding my own fish and beating everyone else. Some people will probably get help for this tournament, but I like the satisfaction of knowing I caught the fish that I found.
CollegeFishing.com: Tell us something interesting about yourself that most people wouldn’t know.
Akin: There is not a whole lot interesting about me.
Frink: I can’t really think of anything. I have pretty much spent my life devoted to fishing.