The sport of bass fishing has gained a large following nationwide over the last several decades, and The Woodlands is no exception.

The Woodlands Bass Club and several area high school teams practice the sport in hopes of cultivating the next generation of anglers.

The Woodlands Bass Club

In 1985, a group of men who enjoyed bass fishing began taking monthly excursions to various lakes around the state to practice a collective passion. Thirty years later, The Woodlands Bass Club continues this tradition with 25 members.

The Woodlands Bass Club has monthly tournaments around the state during which members compete with each other while striving to hook the biggest bass.

Each year starting in January, the club begins its competition season, which lasts until December. The members weigh their catch at the end of each day of the tournament before releasing the fish back into the water and add their weights up each month. At the end of each year, the angler with the heaviest total catch is named “Angler of the Year” at their annual awards banquet.

“Primarily, [bass fishing] just gives you the opportunity to fish recreationally and get to be one with nature,” club President Greg Joyce said. “Even in a tournament, it’s not me against you; it’s me against the fish.”

Joyce developed an interest in the sport after he became paralyzed from the waist down during his time in the Air Force. He joined The Woodlands Bass Club in 2004 and currently holds the No. 1 spot in the yearlong competition with a total catch of 73.77 pounds.

Although competition is part of the club, the main goals of the members stay true to the sport: to fish and have fun. The Woodlands Bass Club is open to both men and women of all ages and skillsets.

In addition to monthly tournaments, club members also participate in community service volunteering at both The Woodlands Township’s and The Kiwanis Club of The Woodlands’ annual Kid Fish events. Some of the members, including Joyce, get involved at the high school level by serving as a boat captain for a pair of anglers, offering both a boat and expertise.

“The two guys that I captain for at The Woodlands High School, they’re excellent anglers with great technique, and they’re ranked pretty high at the high school level as well,” Joyce said. “I just enjoy getting out and doing things and introducing the sport to kids so they can grow it and have fun with it.”

The Woodlands High School Bass Fishing Team

The Woodlands High School Bass Fishing Team is just one of several area organizations that foster the sport for the next generation.

Sponsored by Henry Burns, the team began in 2011 with 15 members. In five years, it has grown to 117 members including seventh and eighth graders from McCullough Junior High School.

“You have the mainstream sports that everybody knows, but not every kid fits into that,” Burns said. “Some kids enjoy fishing and this gives them a way to take their passion and move it into a competitive sport.”

The team competes in two divisions. The inshore division allows the junior high students to compete against each other in teams of two at tournaments hosted in large ponds around The Woodlands area.

The high school team is more competitive; it participates in four tournaments throughout the year against other teams in the Houston division of the Texas High School Bass Association. The top 60 percent of anglers from the regular season move on to the regional competition, and the top 50 percent of anglers at regionals move on the state competition at Toledo Bend.

First prize at the state level is a $20,000 scholarship applicable to any college or university the student plans to attend after high school.

This season TWHS bass fishing team came in second place in their division by only one point behind Montgomery High School.

Grant Davis, a senior at TWHS, is one of the founding members of the school’s bass fishing team and is one of the team members for whom Joyce serves as a boat captain.

“Fishing has been my passion for several years, and I wanted to take it to the next level, and this was done through the creation of TWHS Bass Fishing Team,” Davis said. “I greatly enjoy teaching other people about the sport of bass fishing and introducing it to others in hopes of instilling a passion in someone else.”

Davis was recently named TWHS Angler of The Year as well as team MVP. After graduation, he plans to attend the University of Oklahoma where he intends to be an active member of the school’s bass fishing team.

For more information about The Woodlands Bass Club, visit www.thewoodlandsbassclub.org. For more information about The Woodlands High School Bass Fishing Team, visit www.twhsbft.org.