|
Lake
Fork, TX. – When the Toyota Texas Bass Classic kicks off on Lake Fork this
week, many of the nations biggest sticks will be looking to dredge up Texas monsters. Names like VanDam, Iaconelli, Morgan, Lefebre, and Rojas just scratch the surface of star-studded field. Fishing along side these household names will be Texas A&M Graduate Student, Trevor Knight, competing in just the second professional event of his life. Here’s the story of how this college student earned his spot in the 2008 TTBC.
Knight’s journey to the TTBC began back in September of 2007 as he hoisted trophy for the National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championships over his head. Held on Texas’ Lake Lewisville, the 2007 NCBFC featured over 80 of the nations top college bass fishing teams from major universities across the country. With the victory, Knight and his teammate, Justin Rackley, earned a slot in the PAA Qualifier held this past February on Choke Canyon Reservoir.
Making the most of his opportunity, Knight finished 16th at the qualifier and earned a spot in the 2008 TTBC. “The fact that the PAA got involved and gave me the chance to qualify for the TTBC was huge.” said Knight. “Winning the Collegiate championship opened so many doors and refueled my desire to become a professional angler.”
Knight will be fishing alongside teammates Matt Herron, Ray Scheide, and Ray Sedgwick in the TTBC event. The whole experience so far has been a surreal for Knight. “Last year I went to the TTBC to volunteer and work at the family fun zone.” Knight recalled. “If somebody would have told me I would be fishing in it the following year, I would have told them they were crazy. But here I am, going up against all theses guys who have won hundreds of events. This is about as good as it gets for me right now.”
Knight admittedly knows that he has the least professional experience out of anyone in the field and is also the youngest angler competing. However, Knight is up for the challenge. “The age thing is where most of the intimidation comes into play. I think that Remitz is older than me by about a year.” laughed Knight. “Counting the qualifier, this will only be my second event at the professional level. At the same time, not having that experience gives me an added spark because I want to prove that I can hang with the big dogs.”
Despite his lack of experience at the professional level, Knight can draw on his experiences and success at the collegiate level. “I really got used to the cameras after fishing the UMF College Edition and the NCBFC. The camera is in your face the entire day and I’ve become much more comfortable around the camera. Even at the PAA Qualifier I was able to deal with it a lot easier. If you haven’t had that experience, it can really affect your fishing. I think by having these experiences, I will be able to fish a lot calmer.”
Dealing with stress is nothing new to the Delaware native. Over the past month, Knight has been managing his time between Graduate Student work and fishing. “It’s been a little bit challenging trying to keep myself in school mode and trying to prepare for the TTBC. So far, I’ve been able to balance the two pretty well.” Trevor will finish his thesis in May and earn a Masters degree in fisheries management in August.
Knight hopes that the TTBC will be a spring board to a career in professional fishing. He plans on fishing in the 2008 Stren Northern Division with the goal of qualifying for the 2009 FLW Tour. “I want to make sure I get my thesis done for school and graduate so 2009 will be the real time that I bear down and start the professional side of it.”
Knight lists an impressive array of sponsors but it’s the two names of “Team Dad” and “Team Mom” that adorn the collar of his tournament jersey that he gives the most credit.
“When I told my parents that I wanted to try and do this professionally, they supported me 100%. I have a great appreciation for all the work they have done and are going to do in the future. Without them, this isn’t something that I could do.”
To learn more about Trevor and follow his success in the TTBC and on the 2008 Stren Northern Division, visit his website at www.knightfishing.com.
.
|
