Savanah Wride is going to Yellowstone National Park later this simmer for an internship working with cutthroat trout, but first she has a little business to handle with the black bass in Alabama’s Pickwick Lake.

Wride just graduated from New Mexico State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. But, as a member of the school’s acclaimed fishing team, she is still qualified to fish in the Carhartt  Bassmaster College Series Wild Card on Pickwick this week in hopes of qualifying for the 2014 Carhartt College Series National Championship on Georgia’s Chatuge Reservoir in August.

She is one of six coed anglers fishing the Wild Card, said Hank Weldon, tournament director for the college series, who said the field this week includes 260 anglers in 130 teams.

“There is a growing number of girls joining the college fishing teams. We see more and more of them competing with us each year,” Weldon said.

Wride has been on Pickwick practicing since Monday for her fourth tournament as a competing college angler.

“We did really good at Clear Lake,” she said. “We were just four places from qualifying for the national, so we came down here to see if we could get in.”

The winner at Clear Lake, site of the Carhartt Western Bassmaster College Conference Regional last month, was another New Mexico State fishing team, Guillermo “Memo” Nunez and Tanner Cooper who added the Western Conference title to the Central Conference title they won in 2013.

“We have not talked too much to them on this trip since they are already qualified but we have learned quite a lot from them” Wride said. “Tanner is a good teacher.”

Although they have found some “decent” fish in practice, Wride said they are still looking for the kind of fish that could win the tournament. However, the week has already provided one success for her.

“I caught my biggest smallmouth here, about 3 pounds. I was hoping for a big smallie this week and I got it.”

While she and her teammates have managed to get in some solid practice time, some of the other collegiate anglers are not so fortunate.

Whitney Perkins, a senior at West Alabama University, has been in mid-term exams all week.

“I will be leaving for Pickwick about 7:30 Thursday morning,” she said. “If my boat gets there in time we are going to try to get on the water for a little bit before we have to go to the meeting Thursday.”

Perkins, who has never fished Pickwick before, said at this point she is not sure what her strategy will be for the tournament.

“I think they will be out on the ledges, but I guess I will just have to figure it out when I get there,” she said.

To be eligible to fish the Wild Card, anglers had to fish their regional qualifying tournament or have a medical or school excuse that prevented them from fishing their qualifier. They have a mandatory pre-tournament meeting Thursday evening.

The contestants will take off from McFarland Park at 5:30 a.m. CT Friday and Saturday. Weigh-ins will be held Friday and Saturday beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT at the University of North Alabama.

 

Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Wildcard

Jun 27-28, 2014

Pickwick Lake

www.bassmaster.com