WILLIAMSON COUNTY (WSIL) � For most, fishing is a sport of patience and relaxation, but for some, it’s a non-stop competition between themselves and the fish in the water. Such is the case for local angler Trey McKinney, as he gears up to defend his title at the Bassmaster Junior Championship in August.
It didn’t take long for McKinney to find a love for fishing, picking up the sport just for fun at a young age, before beginning a successful run through several tournaments over the past few years.
"We fished a couple just local tournaments that really hit something off, and then we fished our first bass tournament, from the actual Bass Nation tournament, and it was really fun. I mean, we actually won the first qualifier we ever fished, and then we went to state and nationals the first year we fished it," said McKinney.
The 14-year-old southern Illinois native has won the Illinois Bass Nation state tournament the past three years, and will go after a second straight national title in August.
The adrenaline rush he gets from going after the next bite is what keeps McKinney out on the water.
"That’s what I love about it, it’s just, when you go and you try to find them, and nothing happens, it makes you try harder, and the next time you come and you do find them, then it’s just, well, that’s the addiction," said McKinney.
Even though it’s serious business when it comes to tournaments, McKinney gets out on the lake whenever he can to unwind with some catch and release.
"It is relaxing when you just go to your home lake, just to go out and feel what a bite feels like. Here it’s relaxing, but when you go somewhere to have a tournament, I wouldn’t say too much. But this right here is a nice lake," said McKinney.
Looking ahead to his title defense in August, the young angler plans to think outside the box when he hits the water.
"You just look where you wouldn’t think, or other people wouldn’t think, and once in a while you might get lucky, or you might not. You might not, that’s just the challenge. You got to find them, and either go up shallow, out deep, more finesse than somebody else does. It’s just what we’ll have to try," said McKinney.
Hopefully that strategy will pay off for McKinney as he heads down to Thousand Acre Lake in Carroll County, Tennessee, for the Bassmaster Junior Championship, August 6-7.
