What started as a one-off co-angling event with a college roommate has turned into a lifelong passion and success for Clent Davis, newly named head coach of the University of Montevallo Fishing Team. “I met Justin Lucas through college fishing, and he was trying to find a place to move into down here,” Davis recalled in an interview with Bassmaster in 2019. “He lived at my house for about a year and talked me into fishing a regional event as a co-angler. I entered my first regional event in 2010 and was very successful out of the back of the boat. The next year (2011), I fished the FLW Tour as a co-angler and won Pickwick, which made me enough money ($25,000) to pay my way into the front of the boat for the next year, and that’s how I fished my first year of the FLW Tour.”
From that fateful event, Davis began pouring into the bass fishing community at the University of Montevallo, creating and building the bass fishing program as a student. Now, that very same program has served as a launching pad for the triumph of many talented anglers, winning the past five Bass Pro Shops School of the Year titles presented by Abu Garcia and establishing the University of Montevallo as the top fishing program in the country.
Davis himself is no stranger to the victorious possibilities in the world of competitive angling. Following his graduation from the University of Montevallo, he spent 14 years fishing the top circuits in the world, gathering titles, accolades, and over $1 million in career earnings. Davis knows firsthand what it takes to be successful in this industry. Over the years, he has developed his talent through his devotion to the sport while remaining dedicated to his family and commNowunity at large.
This is what the next chapter of the University of Montevallo Bass Fishing team is about: encouraging students to dive deeper into a love and admiration for the outdoors- rooted in passion, expertise, and commitment to the community that builds us. We can’t wait to see how this program continues to grow under Davis’ leadership and we know that the future is bright.
