Scott Sledge, a former Center Grove High School Fishing Club member and 2020 graduate of Greenwood Community High School, and this teammate, Tyler Cory, recently won the 2024 Strike King Bassmaster College Classic, presented by Bass Pro Shops. Sledge, a senior at the University of Montevallo, said he and Cory qualified for the Bassmaster College Classic because they placed second in the 2023 Strike King Bassmaster College Series.
“We were so close so many times before and it was great to get it. There was really something special about this tournament. We were able to get a big bite, and when it’s your time to win, it’s your time. I think it’s all part of God’s time when he lets you succeed,” Sledge said.
Sledge fell in love with fishing early on, first casting a line when he was 8 or 9. “I really loved it, and started getting into fishing tournaments when I was 8 or 9 years old, and started winning tournaments,” Sledge said. “I thought that was fantastic and I was able to win $200 in one tournament. I loved it. Winning that much money as a kid is great. You can buy a lot of candy.”
Sledge fishes more than half of the year and advises kids wanting to find a sport that want to improve is to just keep fishing. “I would just get time on the water and practice casting,” Sledge said. “Go to tournaments and learn different techniques. You should go to different camps and practice casting.”
“The way we qualify is that there are four seasonal events during the year,” Sledge added. “How you did throughout the year determines how you will compete in the national championships. We were the runner-up team of the year.”
Mike Campbell, the athletic director and football coach at Greenwood Community High School, said Sledge was also a hard worker on the football field, and wanted to make sure his fishing tournaments didn’t conflict with his football practices.
“Scott played defensive end,” Campbell said. “He was a high-motor player and a great teammate. Going into his senior year, he approached me about our Saturday practice rule – if you don’t attend practice, you don’t play. That said, players go on college visits on Saturdays for football all the time, and it is an excused absence if prearranged. So, in our conversations, Scott talked about his ranking on the bass circuit and tournaments he needed to fish. We worked out a schedule for him to be where he needed to be, and it has worked out great for him.”
