Need Money for College? Grab a Fishing Rod to Win Scholarships and Prizes.

Can you fish your way to college?

A growing network of competitive bass fishing programs is giving young people an opportunity to earn scholarship money for college. In competitive bass fishing, contestants attempt to catch the heaviest freshwater fish within a set time. 

The final round of a prestigious high school bass fishing tournament took place on a Saturday morning in August, according to a recent report from The New York Times. Caige Bragg, an 18-year-old from Alabama, participated in the event along with 213 other contestants at Paris Landing State Park in Buchanan, Tennessee. 

“The Star-Spangled Banner” played. Then the boats took off across Kentucky Lake, a 184-mile stretch of water where the day’s winner would be determined by the weight of a few fish. Bragg headed south, traveling about 10 minutes to a spot he knew could deliver.

Eight hours later, he was back at the marina with his answer: three bass in a mesh bag.

Together, they weighed 11 pounds, three ounces — heavy enough to make Bragg the winner of the Strike King Bassmaster High School National Championship. His catch brought home more than a title; Bragg won a boat worth $25,000 and a $5,000 college scholarship. 

“I just love fishing for bass, to be honest,” he said in an interview with the Times. “There’s always a puzzle every time. It’s kind of like chess.”

Competitive bass fishing has evolved into a high-stakes sport

Fishing has grown beyond a weekend hobby. It offers a chance to compete and earn money. Organized bass tournaments have roots going back nearly 60 years, per the Times. 

Today, the sport has professional circuits, corporate sponsors and national broadcasts. Major League Fishing has high-profile sponsors like Toyota, and its tournaments reach viewers through television networks and streaming services. In 2026, the regular Bass Pro Tour event awarded its first-place winner $125,000.

Youth participation in bass fishing has doubled over the past decade. BASS Nation now counts about 12,000 members across 1,100 high school and youth clubs in 35 states, compared with around 6,000 members and 600 clubs in roughly 12 states a decade earlier, according to the Times. 

At least eight states officially recognize bass fishing as a high school sport, while students at many other schools compete through fishing clubs.

For students who love fishing, joining a school team can turn a personal hobby into a source of school pride. Dave Washburn, vice president of operations at Major League Fishing, said the sport now has many of the characteristics familiar to high school athletes. There are team jerseys, pep rallies and recognition ceremonies.

That recognition matters to young fishing club members whose interests may not fit the usual mold of school sports.

“For many students, it is the first time their passion is viewed as something that carries the same legitimacy as more traditional sports,” Washburn said in an interview with the Times.