Brothers Carter and Ryan Troughton took second for the University club bass fishing team at the National Guard-FLW College Fishing Western Division Tournament on Lake Roosevelt in Arizona last Saturday, earning themselves an entry into the Western Regional Championship and netting the school and the bass fishing team each $2,500.
Carter, a junior, and Ryan, a sophomore, took in five fish that weighed 10 pounds, 14 ounces. The Troughtons lost to Chico State’s tandem of Matt Dixon and Spencer Moran, who took in six bass weighing 15 pounds in total, including a seven-pound fish that weighed more than the fish that 21 of the 30 participating teams caught.
“We had never been to Lake Roosevelt before, but while I was driving around the lake, I noticed an area at the north end that looked ‘bassy’ called Tonto Creek,” said Carter. Each fisher can only count three fish, and within half an hour, Carter had already caught three with his Snag Proof frog. Ryan said Carter had guessed the conditions correctly, which allowed him to get to the limit quickly.
Ryan caught his two fish later in the day with a Senko worm, and then Carter caught a better fish with chatter bait later in the afternoon, and culled one of his first catches for it.
Both acknowledged that fishing with their brother was something special.
“When I stop and think about it, though, there is no one I would rather have on my team,” Ryan said. “Having the opportunity to fish and win with Carter at the college level is like a dream come true.”
“Fishing tournaments with my younger brother is awesome,” Carter said. “We’ve been fishing buddies since we had Snoopy poles and bobbers, so we each know our strengths and weaknesses out on the lake.”
Oregon sent three other teams to Arizona: Sophomores Ross Richards and Reed Frazier caught four fish at seven pounds even, good for eighth place; sophomore Marcus Johnson and senior Christopher Stam caught two fish at three pounds, six ounces, taking 18th place; and junior Taylor Lipscomb and freshman Derek Stone caught two fish at three pounds even, finishing in 22nd place.
The next tournament is at Lake Oroville in northern California, on May 16, followed by a tournament May 30 at the California Delta near the Bay Area. The Western Regional Championship takes place between Sept. 19-21.
If you are interested in joining the University bass fishing team, contact Carter at [email protected].
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