Fishing Stories

Fishing Stories

Photo by Wade Payne

Bill Bell (Knoxville ’72), far right, loves fishing, and when he heard UT Knoxville had a bass fishing team, he wanted to make sure the students had the best boat on the market—complete with Big Orange decoration. Bell was instrumental in Phoenix Bass Boats’ donation of this 19-foot, 200- horsepower bass boat to the team last September. Also pictured are Hunter Shults, left, president of the team, and Gary Clouse, middle, president of Phoenix Bass Boats in Winchester. Bass fishing is a club sport, and the team competes in FLW, BoatUS and Bassmaster tournaments. Bell, who earned his bachelor’s degree in forestry from the UT Institute of Agriculture, is retired from a long career in the lumber business. He and his wife, Jane (Knoxville ’73), live in Smithville on Center Hill Lake. “I’ve been a fisherman my whole life. If they had had this (fishing team), I may not have graduated!” he jokes.