By Tabitha Evans Moore | EDITOR & PUBLISHER

MOORE COUNTY, Tenn. — It’s Saturday afternoon and Lynchburg’s Will Baker’s doing one of his favorite things. The sun is high over his favorite local fishing hole. It’s a top-secret, need-to-know-only location. We doubt his locations are on.

He’s spotted a fallen tree sitting along the edge of the water, and suspects Mr. LargeMouth Bass may be lurking there. He casts and then tugs gently on the lure hoping to entice his opponent to bite. After a few moments, he feels the tug and all is right in the world.

It this love of the outdoors — being under the clouds, in the open air, and on the water that the MCHS alumni hopes to pass along to a new generation of bass fishers as the new sponsor of the recently approved Moore County High School B.A.S.S Team — the first in the school’s history.

In the hometown of Bill Dance

It’s a fitting development for Lynchburg. After all, the world’s most famous bass fisherman, Bill Dance, is a native of Lynchburg who learned to fish from his grandfather right here on the Mulberry Creek. Now Baker’s team will practice on nearby Tim’s Ford — a Bill Dance Signature Lake. The local fishing world has come full circle.

It’s not the first time he’s been responsible for a local fishing first. He and his soon-to-be college roommate, Logan Carter, also launched the first- ever Motlow State team. It’s a long process that began their freshman year but didn’t bear fruit until recently.

“It was a long process with lots of paperwork. We had meetings, multiple meetings, with the president, the vice president, and the athletic director, but we got it done,” he explains. “We fished our first collegiate tournament our sophomore year. Our most recent was in March at Smith Lake.”

Baker and Carter fish on separate teams. Baker fishes with fellow MCHS alum Hayden Cooper and Carter fishes with his former Lincoln County teammate, Caleb Martinez.

As they head to Tennessee Tech University this fall, they’ll continue their collegiate fishing careers as part of TTU B.A.S.S. Team — the one that brought home the Tennessee Bass Nation Governors Cup for the first time ever in 2022.

Inspired by Darin Harrison

Baker tells us the idea came from Lynn Harrison, the wife of Darin “Block” Harrison, the former Metro Property Assessor, who died unexpectedly in 2023.

Darin used to host weekly fishing tournaments for friends and acquaintances on Wednesdays, and she continues that tradition each year.

“Dad and I fished the tournament, and she talked about how much Darin would love the idea of a high school fishing team. She knew I’d helped start the Motlow State team and encouraged me to do something similar at the local high school. I thought it was something sweet that I could do for the community, so I decided to try,” he says.

Based on the number of kids who showed up at the first exploration meeting, it’s an idea whose time has come. Baker says over 20 students attended that first meeting — all of them eager to get started.

“Ever since we got the Motlow team, kids have been texting and asking if we could start one at MCHS,” Baker says.

So, during the May Moore County School Board meeting, MCHS Principal Josh Deal appeared before the Board on Baker’s behalf and they were unanimously approved.

That approval’s something that Baker says he’s been looking forward to for a very long time.

“I played football and basketball in high school but I always wanted a fishing team. It’s something I dreamed of since my freshman year, but it just never happened. It’s always been in the background of my mind though, so I decided to try.”

Love of fishing come from his dad and grandfather

Baker says he developed his love of fishing from his dad, Todd Baker, and grandfather, Danny Baker, at an early age.

“The three of us always fished, but when I was little, maybe seven years old, I used one of those push button rods, so I wasn’t catching much,” he jokes. “One day my grandfather hooked a bass on his pole and let me reel it in. I guess you could say I was hooked.”

Baker says in our digital world he also loves spending time in nature, and it’s something he wants other kids to experience too.

“I like being out there with what God created and spending time with the things that he’s given us that we take for granted, like the sunset, sunrise, and stuff like that.”

In addition to being a whole lot of fun in the great outdoors, students can win not only money but can also help pay for college with a good day on the lake. Baker fished against students from the University of Tennessee and Texas A&M — many who receive full ride scholarships from the sport.

“That’s another reason I wanted to start a high school team — so it can be a feeder team for the Motlow State team,” Baker explains. “Not every kid wants to play sports like football and basketball, and this is just one more way that students can pay for school. They could get scholarships from anywhere. There are B.A.S.S teams all over the U.S.”

The MCHS teams will operate just like the college teams — a two man team with an advisor. Each high school team is required to fish with adults — a boat captain who carries a Tennessee boat license. Students will also be responsible for gaining sponsorship to pay for entry fees and overnight stays. No local tax dollars are needed. They also fish tournaments on Saturdays, so if students play other sports, it won’t interfere.

“Sponsorships aren’t super hard to get. It’s the asking that is hard. But if you get told ‘no’ you get told ‘no,’” he shrugs.

He’s apparently pretty good at it. He got three “yeses” from his first five asks for the Motlow team. Those are pretty good percentages.

Fishing teaches life lessons

Baker says fishing in addition to being a fun pastime and a pathway to scholarships, teaches life lessons like patience.

“Each day is different. It’s never the same day twice. One day, it might take 10 minutes to get a bite; the next day it can take 10 hours. You just never know.”

He says in our digital world with constant beeps and buzzes that fishing also teaches you how to live in the moment.

“It’s kind of nice to put the phone down for a little bit and be in the moment. You know, it’s just nice to enjoy life, and all we’ve been given,” he says. “We take a bunch of things for granted like being outside — seeing things and doing things that some people don’t get to do.”

It’s also great for teaching kids how to make decisions on the fly and adjust to ever-evolving circumstances, which build confidence.

“I just want these kids to see that they can go off to college and get that big degree while they’re doing something they love, just like any other sport,” Baker says.

The new MCHS fishing team is open to both male and female students. If you are interested in being involved with the new team, you can reach out to Baker via email at [email protected] or via cell phone at 931-434-8165. •

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