Chevrolet Bass Cats at the Boat U.S. National Championship

June 7, 2012 10:19 am CT

Chevrolet recently had the opportunity to partner with the Texas State Bass Cats fishing club as they hit the road for the Boat U.S. National Championship. David Cosner, Bass Cats founder, took a minute to chat with Driving the Heartland to share his story.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself, the Texas State Bass Cats, and the Boat U.S. National Championship.

A: Well me and bass fishing have quite the history, ever since I was about 5 years old and my dad put a fishing rod in my hands I was hooked. At about 9 years old I started competing with my father on various tournament circuits around central Texas and found I had a knack for fishing competitively. Now, it may come as a surprise but I actually credit fishing for saving my life, I know it sounds funny but its true. In high school I started playing lacrosse and put bass fishing on the back burner for a number of years. During my JR year, I was diagnosed with a deadly autoimmune condition called Wegeners Granulomatosis or (WG) for short. Wegeners is a deadly chronic inflammatory condition of unknown origin, so there I was 17 years old faced with a mountain to climb. Since my diagnosis over 6 years ago I have had 102 lung surgeries (no that’s not a typo and 2/3 of my right lung removed as well as 2 rounds of chemotherapy). The disease wreaked havoc on my lungs so I could no longer play the sport I loved, lacrosse, so I focused on my childhood passion, bass fishing. After my senior year I was accepted to Texas State and had the dream of starting my very own Colligate Bass Fishing team, just a few short months later and lots of blood, sweat and tears the Texas State Bass Cats were formed.

Looking back it is pretty crazy to think almost 4 years have passed since our club was formed in the Fall of 2009, but as the years have whizzed by we have made our name in various college bass fishing circuits, including placing 2nd in the nation at the first FLW College National Championship in 2010. This year myself and my partner Brandon May competed at the 2012 Boat U.S. National Championship, and let me tell you what an awesome event, Boat U.S. and the TBF really put on a show for these college anglers, we are treated like royalty for a week straight. And to top it off General Motors was kind enough to lend us two brand new GM trucks to drive to the event, we were riding in style!

Q: Describe the trip to the tournament.

A: This was by far the most relaxing trip across the country I have ever taken; let me tell you that 2012 Chevy Silverado LTZ is one heck of a truck! Never have I been in a nicer truck. It had a sunroof, in dash navigation, On-Star, leather and wood trim interior. I was totally blown away! Its no wonder so many people were giving us a big thumbs up going down the road. So, big thanks to GM for making that happen. I always find it exciting to hit the road and just start driving across the country. Not only do you get a sense for how big our great country is, but how beautiful and diverse it can be. Honestly that’s probably one of my favorite parts about fishing tournaments, getting to see so many different places across the country.

Q: What were some tournament highlights?

A: Well even though both of our teams struggled at Lake Pickwick, I would consider the whole tournament one big highlight. Yeah we would have liked to do a little better, but we were just happy to be there representing and showcasing GM’s great products. Also I have met some of my best friends fishing in these events and it’s always like a big family reunion when we all arrive. With about 200 college teams competing, there were more than a few familiar faces. The first day of the tournament we had a camera man in our boat which is always awesome; it was especially exciting for Brandon as it was his first big bass tournament so having a camera on the boat was icing on the cake. Despite our low finish, we had a flawless trip there and back thanks to our Silverado, so I would say our tournament was a success! Who knows maybe next year we will be sporting some 2013 GM trucks!

Q: What’s next for the Texas State Bass Cats?

A: Man that’s a loaded question! You know there is such a future in this great sport for college and high school anglers it’s crazy. The four years we have been a club I have had the pleasure of watching collegiate fishing grow exponentially from year to year. As one of the original college fishing clubs in the nation the Bass Cats strive to provide college anglers with the total tournament fishing experience. Fishing in my mind is about good friends, good fun and good competition. I’m proud to say we have provided that for all of our members over the years and will continue to years down the road. As I approach my senior year at Texas State I hope that the legacy I have started continues to provide passionate young tournament anglers with an organization in which they can belong. I know I have had some of the best memories fishing, so hopefully someone else in the future can say the same.

Also I want to give a shout out to all of our great sponsors, Chevy & GM, Duckett Fishing, Jewel Jigs, Get 5 Lures, Hags Tornado Bait, Tackle Warehouse and Lake Fork Trophy Lures. Without our great sponsors we would not be where we are today, so for that we thank you!

You can learn more about the Texas State University Bass Cats on their Facebook and Twitter pages.