Things did not go well at first when Will Treadwell and Byron Kenney hooked up as a team for the University of Georgia Fishing Team.

“We struggled the first couple of tournaments,” said Treadwell who, like Kenney, had fished with another teammate before this year. “We got a new boat and took off the lower unit at Okeechobee. It seemed like something was trying to bring us down at each tournament.”

But, Treadwell said, he and Kenney never lost faith.

“We knew it would turn around. It was cold early in the year. We said we have just got to get to summer.”

And once they did, everything turned around in a big time way. During a magical week in May they won back to back major collegiate tournaments on the Tennessee River – the FLW College Fishing Southeastern Conference tournament on Lake Guntersville May 17 and then the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship on Pickwick Lake May 22-23.

The Bulldog duo is headed to another Tennessee River impoundment – Lake Chickamauga – this Saturday and Sunday to compete in FLW Collegiate Southeastern Conference Invitational. Forty-five college teams have qualified for this event and will be competing for a top award of $4,000 and a berth in the 2015 FLW College Fishing National Championship.

“Fishing on Chickamauga is tough right now,” Treadwell said. “It’s not taking much in local tournaments to win.”

Treadwell and Kenney practiced on Chickamauga this past weekend but Treadwell had to return for class this week while Kenney, who has already graduated, continued to practice.

“The biggest thing will be trying to figure out if there is a pattern,” said Treadwell, who is in his final semester at Georgia.”We fished out deep and caught some fish, but not enough to win. All the big fish we caught came out of the grass. Sometimes you just have to get on the right stretch of grass.”

Both anglers are fairly familiar with Chickamauga, having fished several tournaments there in the past.

“He has figured some things out already and in a couple of days I will be up there and we will figure some more out together,” said Treadwell. “We can easily get on a winning pattern at Chickamauga and we are going to make that effort. Fishing shallow or fishing a frog, we are pretty confident.”

Treadwell, of Buford, Ga., is working on his degree in criminal justice, but hopes to find his way in the fishing business, either competing or working in the industry. He already has a leg up on his hopes, working with ALX Rods (http://www.alxrods.com) in Aiken, S.C., as head of the company’s program to support high school and college anglers.

The ALX Rods “School ‘N’ Fish Program” (http://www.alxrods.com/high-schoolcollege-program/) has been designed to help younger anglers obtain quality, US assembled ALX Rods through their team affiliations while offering support regarding the business side of fishing.

Kenney, who graduated in May with a degree in agricultural business, works with his father which gives him the flexibility to practice for tournaments. The Griffin, Ga., angler plans to fish the Bassmaster Opens.

“He has a pro fishing dream” said Treadwell of his teammate. “He has the potential to make it a long way.”

 

FLW College Fishing – Southeastern Division

Oct 18-19, 2014

Lake Chickamauga

Chester Frost Park

www.flwoutdoors.com