Hooked FISHING TEAMS ON THE RISE

As a young boy Summer Dees loved to fish.

Living in Monteagle, there wasn’t a big lake nearby, so he fished in any pond he could find. It didn’t matter what kind of fish he caught as long it swam in the water. “I have loved to fish ever since I could hold a rod,” Summer says.

Now, the sport he loves helps pay his college tuition. Summer was awarded a scholarship to Bryan College as a member of the fishing team.

Summer first became interested in fishing competitively when he was in eighth grade, the year he watched his older cousin compete in the sport’s national championship. “I really got into it and it was such a fun atmosphere,” Summer says.

He talked his dad, Chad Dees, into buying a boat. “I had never fished in a tournament or in a boat before,” he says.

Summer joined the Grundy County High School Fishing Team. “I fished with my cousin, and we fished hard,” he says. “Even if we didn’t do good, it was fun.”

The Grundy County High School team qualified for the national championship in Summer’s junior year. The competition took place at Chickamauga Lake — only minutes from Bryan College in Dayton. The Bryan fishing coach attended, on the lookout for talent. “They talked to me that day about coming to Bryan College on a scholarship and joining their fishing team,” Summer says.

He accepted the scholarship and joined the team. “I just loved the atmosphere and environment,” he says. “It’s a good Christian school, and I’ve met some great people.” Although fishing takes a lot of his time, Summer plans to major in business management and minor in marketing.

As a freshman at Bryan, Summer and his fishing partner traveled as far as Arizona to compete. The top 25 teams, ranked by the total weight of their catch throughout the season, make the national championship. Summer and his partner missed qualifying by 1 ounce. “We came in 26th,” he says.

Learning The Ropes

Now, it’s a new season, and it’s Summer’s sophomore year. On Jan 20, Summer and Bryan College teammate Turner Hart finished 21st at the Major League Fishing opening in Florida, giving them an automatic berth in the MLF College National Championship that will be held in early 2024.

When it comes to fishing, there’s so much more than luck involved. Before every tournament, Summer accesses that particular lake’s maps online. There are 3D versions and imaging that show the topography and contours. “You have to learn the lakes to be successful,” he says. “Nowadays you learn the lakes through the internet.”

Summer helps promote the Bryan College fishing team through social media, posting photos of tournaments and updates for weigh-in events. He loves fishing on the college circuit and hopes to someday make it to the Bassmaster Elite Series. “It’s always been my dream to fish professionally,” he says. “I’ve been told if you are doing what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

And, while Summer would love to make the professional series, he realizes it’s hard to get there. If he does, a background in business management and marketing will only help him in a fishing career. “If you make it to that point, you have to operate like it’s a business,” he says.

If fishing doesn’t work out, Summer’s planning on a career in the real estate industry. He wouldn’t trade the fishing experience that began when he was a kid for anything, and he encourages others to pursue the sport, too. “It’s something anybody can do if you can get access to a boat,” he says. “The great thing is I’ve made some of the best memories with my dad. I can’t imagine what I’d be doing if I never started fishing.”