Meet the Eagles

Georgia Southern University teammates Thigpen, Maples share their thoughts on qualifying for the 2012 National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship

Georgia Southern's Jed Thigpen and Wesley Maples sit just an ounce outside the top-5. Photo by David A. Brown. Anglers: Jed Thigpen, Wesley Maples.

March 7, 2012 • Gary Mortenson • Abu Garcia College Fishing

(Editor’s note: Leading up to the 2012 National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship – slated for April 13-15 on Lake Murray in Columbia, S.C. – CollegeFishing.com will publish weekly, in-depth features stories of each of the 25 national championship team 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 2012 Forrest Wood Cup.)

Name: Jed Thigpen (pictured on left)

Class: Senior

Major: Biology

Hometown: Waycross, Ga.

Other interests: Outside of fishing, I love anything involving guns, whether it be shooting, reloading, looking at guns or wishing I had the money to buy them. I also play pretty much every intramural sport GSU offers. I’ve participated in intramural dodgeball, softball, inner tube water polo, sports trivia and several others.

Name: Wesley Maples (pictured on right)

Class: Alumni

Major: Geography

Hometown: Rocky Face, Ga.

Other interests: My other interests include deer hunting with my dad and granddaddy.

Club Web site: www.georgiasouthernbass.com

Q&A

CollegeFishing.com: How were you introduced to fishing?

Thigpen: I was introduced to fishing when I was 3 years old as we have a pond right behind my house. From time to time, when I was younger, my dad, brother and I would head over to the Altamaha River. However, it wasn’t until I was a senior in high school that I began to fish tournaments.

Maples: When I was younger I was introduced to trout fishing by my granddaddy.

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

Thigpen: Any style or method that gets a big limit in the boat is my favorite thing to do. I love fishing any type of grass. I always seem to catch bigger fish when I am fishing grass and I am addicted to it.

Maples: I am a very diverse fisherman but my favorite style is offshore fishing. Basically, I’m comfortable with any technique with the exception of finesse fishing.

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?

Thigpen: Qualifying for the championship was unreal. FLW and the National Guard have teamed up to make a college fishing experience unlike any other. It took awhile to sink in, but qualifying for the FLW College Fishing National Championship is one of the most exciting things that has happened in my life. My only fear is that my grades will suffer because the national championship is literally all I think about. In preparation for the tournament, I plan on pre-fishing on Lake Murray until I run out of money or start failing classes.

Maples: When I qualified for the national championship, it was the greatest moment in my college fishing career. My family was there to experience it and so was Jed’s family. To prepare for the tournament we are going to practice a lot and spend weekends on the lake. We have a friend who lives near the lake whom we can stay with – and that will help us with cost of hotel rooms.

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

Thigpen: You couldn’t tell by looking at me now, but I actually used to be somewhat of an athlete in high school. I played basketball, baseball and football. Once I graduated, I dropped my bats, balls and cleats and picked up a fishing rod. Ever since then, I have been fishing collegiately and haven’t looked back.

Maples: Don’t let the southern accent fool you because I am a world traveler. I have been to 40 states and numerous countries in Europe.