Jason Scoggins, a fourth year bass fishing coach with a state championship under his belt, has put together his love for bass fishing and the community to teach students about fishing and the outdoors.
For the first year, the school sponsored a fishing club under the supervision of Scoggins. The fishing club began with three meets in the fall, and finished with six meets in the spring before a state championship to conclude the season.
“I graduated from Bryant and always knew I would come back,” Scoggins said. Central Arkansas is a hotbed of fishing with many lakes nearby and professional fisherman in the area.”
Thirteen teams with 16 students gave the school a good reputation for the first year of the club. The students work in teams to get as many points as possible. Following a point system, each team had a goal of reaching the most points for a five fish limit, participating in the meet, and catching a big bass.
“After our meet at Ouachita, my team received 7.99 points,” junior Nick Kuykendall said. “We got 3 points for fishing, and 4.99 points for a limit, but did not receive any points for a big bass.
Scoggins believes some improvements can be made.
“The school does not provide any equipment for the fisherman, so they must bring their own,” Scoggins said. “I spend a lot of time going around to our sponsors trying to get donations such as poles and reels to use for prizes.”
As well as small prizes, at the state tournament, a secret award was given out as the team of the year award.
“Fishing is the fastest growing college sport, a result of that are scholarships given out at the national championship by colleges such as UALR and University of Arkansas,” Scoggins said. “I make sure that the awards go to the students because they are the ones who deserve them.”
The fishing club comes with many benefits big and small. Some student’s drive for the big prizes, and some do it as a hobby.
“I do it for the fun, and it gives me something to do as well as embracing the competitive side of it,” Kuykendall said.
To show team spirit, the Fishing Club received fishing shirts with their names on the back, the Hornet logo on the front, and club sponsors on both sides.
President Gage Marvel and sophomore Garrett Jarvis were some of the first fisherman to receive their shirts.
“I am excited to get my fishing shirt and start representing to others around the school,” sophomore Ethan Wilcox said. “I can represent the team while wearing it, and they will make us look more professional.”
As the clubs future strengthens with every meet, Scoggins makes sure to make the best out of the season, as well as plan great things for the years to come.
“I make sure that the awards go to the students because they are the ones who deserve them,” Scoggins said. “As well as having a great season, I am currently in discussion with other high school fishing clubs to try and begin a fishing conference on top of our usual season.”
