Dylan and Carter Nutt, twin brothers and competitive bass fishermen who’ve built quite a following on social media, say the best way to get started in the tournament game is to make a point to learn something new every time out.
The two visited with more than 100 campers, parents, chaperones and sponsors at Pickwick Bass Camp last Sunday and said keeping a positive mental attitude at all times and always being willing to learn something new are the two points that have served them best throughout their angling careers.
Both are students at the University of North Alabama, where they are members of the school’s intercollegiate bass fishing team. Their success has not been limited to wins in scholastic tournaments, though. They have wins in Major League Fishing, the Toyota Series and a B.A.S.S. National Qualifier tournament among many others between them. Some are individual wins and some are as teams. The events have been competed at Lake Chickamauga, Pickwick and far beyond. Their versatility in a number of different tournament formats underlines the energy they bring and the skill they wield on the water.
“We’ve been fishing since we were knee high to a grasshopper,” Dylan Nutt said. “It’s the only thing we’ve ever known. We’ve been competing in tournaments since we were 8 years old. We didn’t start off strong, but we learned something every time we went. Often the things we learned were small, but it’s the small things that make all the difference in the end. For example, we learned a small change in the weight of the line can mean a huge swing in the size of fish you’re catching.”
“We won a lot of high school events around Tennessee,” Carter Nutt said. “College has been one of the most wonderful experiences we could have imagined. We’re fishing in Florida, Oklahoma, New York, Michigan and everywhere, and the school is paying for the travel. We’re having experiences we never could have even thought about doing without the support of the college team we’re on.”
The two said being willing to learn anything from anyone at any time is paramount. The best lessons come along on the worst days, it seems, and keeping your chin up and your ears open is the way to go. It also helps anglers fish at their best at all times.
“We’ve won a lot more tournaments in the last hour of the day than we have in the first hour of the day,” Dylan Nutt said. “It can happen really quickly. That PMA, the Positive Mental Attitude, is absolutely critical for anything.”
Both of the brothers plan to give professional tournament fishing a try once their collegiate days are done. Whether they become the next Bill Dance and Hank Parker or not, though, the connections they’re making through the networking that comes along with college fishing will serve them well the rest of their lives.
“Through college bass fishing, you’re meeting the folks who work in the fishing industry, and those contacts are so valuable,” Carter Nutt said. “You’re also meeting and fishing with and against the people who will hold those jobs not far into the future. Those contacts and connections will make all the difference when you’re working on sponsorships as an angler, and as you’re working in the industry yourself at some point as well.”
Bringing the outdoors into our nation’s schools has been a brilliant success on many fronts, one with even brighter days still ahead. From archery to trap and skeet, the opportunity to compete on a team in a pursuit oriented to the outside has meant wonders to many.
Perhaps none has landed more successfully than bass fishing. Now recognized by hundreds of institutions of higher learning, it’s enriching the lives and future livelihoods of students nationwide.
“Twenty years ago we threw the first college bass championship in Texas, and we really didn’t know what we’d get,” Wade Middleton, Association of Collegiate Anglers Director, said. “We had a field of 80 anglers. Some of them showed up with homemade live wells built into old ice chests. Some of them showed up dressed as if for a job interview. Some showed up as though they were headed to a football game.”
“Now it’s hard for some of the anglers just to qualify from their own school. It’s something anglers from all over the country strive for and work for and practice for, and the event creates an opportunity for all of them that goes well beyond winning a tournament. These anglers are the next generation of professional bass fishermen, and they’re also the next generation of professionals in the outdoor fishing and hunting industries. The networking they’ll do here will pay dividends for the rest of their careers, because they’re meeting representatives from such a host of sponsors. It’s also an ideal way to meet and get to know each other.”
Colleges and universities represented include many members of the Southeastern Conference and other schools that are household names.
“We’re really seeing college bass fishing grow in the smaller and mid-major schools,” Middleton said. “Often, these schools are located in rural areas, which is also often where the best fishing is. It’s a sport open to both men and women, and it’s one in which teams from anywhere can absolutely be competitive.”
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