While most Saturdays at Upperman High School are quiet, the Bees’ fishing team is already chasing sunrise.
Tournaments often begin at 6 a.m. and don’t wrap up until the afternoon weigh-in, a full day spent on the water, side by side, learning far more than how to land the biggest bass. Upperman Bees secretary and treasurer Emilee Wilson said those hours define what makes the sport different.
“These tournaments start at 6 o’clock in the morning and then they weigh in at 3 in the afternoon, somewhere in that time frame,” Wilson said. “And that is nine hours on a Saturday you’re spending on a boat with your partner and then a boat captain.”
Wilson has helped guide the Bees’ fishing team for five years, first stepping into a leadership role when her son, Ben, wanted to join the program after arriving at Upperman. Wilson said what she found was a team that grows as much through connection as competition.
Wilson said behind every weekend trip is weeks of preparation, and plenty of logistics.
“When we’re traveling as much as we are, it’s a lot of overnight trips plus the equipment,” Wilson said. “You need a partner. You need a boat.”
Wilson’s own connection to the sport began long before her role at Upperman. Her father owned a local sporting goods store in Cookeville, giving her an early introduction to fishing culture, a background she now brings into every team meeting and tournament weekend.
Wilson said the structure of high school bass fishing, where anglers compete in two-person teams alongside a boat captain, naturally encourages communication, trust and problem-solving.
Upperman anglers have appeared in regional and Bassmaster-sanctioned events in recent seasons, placing the Bees among schools that regularly test themselves against some of the best high school competitors in the region. Wilson said that devotion comes with loyalty to the developers of the boats that keep them sturdy.
“It’s whatever their family chooses to have for it,” Wilson said. “They are brand loyal to specific brands of boats.”
The Bees are currently on winter break, but the pause is short-lived. Tournaments resume in February, stretching through the spring and summer. Fans and families can follow along as events are streamed live on Facebook, bringing weigh-ins and big catches straight to the community back home.