Cole Swede
Senior Cole Swede and his fishing partner won the Southern Conference Regional Fishing Championship last fall, and the pair placed second in the High School Fishing National Championship on Table Rock Lake this April. The e-Mustang staff sat down with Swede to discuss his fishing career and plans for the future.
Tell us about your background in fishing.
I’ve been around fishing my whole life. I started with my dad as soon as I could hold a pole. When I was 12 or 13, I started fishing tournaments and really getting into it. That’s when it took off. I’m very serious about fishing, so I dedicate a lot of time to the sport. I fish two or three times a week — there's more off-the-water training you can do than on-the-water stuff.
You and your fishing partner, Chase Meyers, placed second in the National Championship last month. Tell us how you prepared for that?
We looked at fishing maps, talked to some pros and studied topographic maps and contours in the lake. That way, when we got out in the boat, we already had spots mapped out. We also went up to Table Rock about two months in advance to get a feel for the lake, then returned the week before the tournament for official practice. That’s when we went and found out where the fish were. (You don't want to catch them all during practice, though — you want to save those for the tournament).
We heard you’ll be helping with Harding University’s fishing club this fall. Tell us about that.
Dean Collins contacted me last summer. He knew I had some interest in going to Harding and told me he wanted to step up their fishing program. We’ve had a few meetings about the program, and Harding is going to help me out with some expenses around the tournaments.
Read Cole's full Q&A here on CACMustangs.org.
