Bracken Castle
Bass fishing is one of the fastest growing industries and is now a $560 billion industry.
High school bass fishing teams are becoming more and more popular and so are college fishing teams. Centre College has started its own team this year thanks to the leadership of sophomore Bracken Castle of Whitley County. He’s a life-long fisherman and welcomed the opportunity to help organize and develop a team at Centre where he also plays football.
A four-part lecture series on bass fishing starts Feb. 11 at Centre and runs through March 4 with lessons from 5:30-6:30 p.m. each Thursday. Tickets priced at $80 for all five lectures are available at this link.
“It’s open to Centre students or anyone interested in bass fishing,” said Castle, who has had almost 50 Centre students participate in fishing club activities.
The lecture schedule is as follows:
Ecology and Conservation to promote and protect fishing
February 11
Mark Galatowitsch – Dr. Galatowitsch received his Ph.D. in Ecology from University of Canterbury in New Zealand and is a freshwater ecologist. He serves as the chair of Centre College Biology Program with extensive experience with field surveys, laboratory experiments, and population genetics.
Lee McClellan – McClellan is the associate editor for Kentucky Afield Magazine and is an avid fisherman and outdoorsman. He works closely with the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Department on conservation efforts to promote the bass population in Kentucky waters. He has published several articles ranging from conservation to angular skillset and assessing quality fishing spots.
The Business of Fishing
February 18
Oscar Brooks – Brooks is the founder and owner of Holt’s Outfitters and Sporting Goods Store. He has fished semi-professionally in bass fishing competitions throughout the Southeastern region of the United States. As a father of four, he also served as a Team Captain with ALLPRO DADS, a non-profit that mentors kids on the importance of sports and mentorship. Throughout his professional and fishing career, Mr. Brooks understands the intricacies of building a business and the importance of building relationships, whether in a conference room or on the boat.
Things to Consider for Deep Winter Bass Fishing
February 25
Bass Geek – Hank Rogers is best known to more of his 84,000 YouTube subscribers as Bass Geek. @bassgeek created his YouTube channel in 2016 as a way to share his fishing journey and teach others the skills and joys of bass fishing. Mr. Rogers shares content and advice on everything from new lures, expanding your tackle collection, and how to optimize your tools and skills for different seasons.
Keeping up with the fishing tech! In-depth discussion on how to optimize the use of Livescope to optimize your fishing experience.
March 4
Bracken Castle – Castle is a Centre College sophomore and avid outdoorsmen and fisherman. He is the founder and president of Centre College Bass Fishing team. Bracken is one of the youngest fishing guides in the Kentucky and Tennessee region and has won multiple KHSAA state finishing and other tournament wins. He is an expert with leveraging new fishing gadgets, such as Livescope, a forward facing live sonar, to improve accuracy and success.
