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.