Matt and Jordan Lee of Auburn University have made bass fishing headlines in the last couple of weeks for their fish-off in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Classic Bracket that resulted in Matt earning a berth in the Classic and Jordan coming in as runner-up.
But the brothers have a solid relationship — standing by each other’s side as well as cracking on one another.
Their parents, Bruce and Leigh Lee, enjoyed watching their sons interact during the B.A.S.S. meet-and-greet followed by the B.A.S.S. Twitter chat earlier today. The family has strong ties, serious allegiance to Auburn University and a dedication to the sport of bass fishing. See a photo gallery of their visit here.
Below is a transcript of today’s chat, lightly edited for spelling and clarity. View transcripts of previous chats we’ve hosted with Elite Series pros Jonathon VanDam, Todd Faircloth, Brent Chapman, Randy Howell, Ish Monroe, Brandon Palaniuk, Jeremy Starks and Alton Jones. Keep up with news, pros and tips by following B.A.S.S. on Twitter!
BASS_nation Welcome, @jleefishing and @wmattlee of @AuburnU ! Congratulations to both of you on your great performance!
BrandonPalaniuk Hey, Matt and Jordan! I know this whole deal is bittersweet for both of you, but I wanted to stop and say congrats to both!
BrandonPalaniuk Make sure you two take advantage of every opportunity that arises from this situation….who knows when you’ll have another chance.
JLeefishing Thanks, Brandon! I really appreciate that coming from you. It means a lot.
wmattlee Thanks @BrandonPalaniuk appreciate it! Means a lot to hear that from you. Look forward to meeting you!
CampusRecAU Matt & Jordan – congrats on your success in Arkansas. How did it feel fishing as brothers during that week?
wmattlee Thanks @CampusRecAU. A lot of mixed emotions. Not easy competing against your brother for such a big title.
JLeefishing It was an awesome week! We fish great together, and for one of us to win it couldn’t have been any better!
JonesProFishing Matt, congrats on qualifying for the Classic. Good luck, and I look forward to meeting you in person!
wmattlee Thank you @JonesProFishing. You’ve already got a title right? So… It’s okay if you let me win this time?
JonesProFishing Jordan, great job to you also, keep it up and I’m sure I’ll see you on the Elite Series before too long.
JLeefishing Alton, hopefully in a few years, I’ll make it there. But right now, I’ve got to worry about passing classes!
JonathonVanDam Congrats to you both, job well done! Look forward to seeing you in Tulsa, you and all college anglers are the future, nice work!
wmattlee Preciate it @JonathonVanDam. Cool with you if we work together to whip up on Unc VD?
JLeefishing Thanks, man! I’ll see you in Tulsa, pulling for you and Matt!
CampusRecAU Jessica from Auburn wants to know what if you have any rituals before you fish.
wmattlee not really. Not big into rituals or superstitions.
JLeefishing I keep a duck decoy in my boat. It helps me catch trophies!
brentchapman2 Matt and Jordan, you’re both on the right track. Looking forward to watching your career!
JLeefishing Win Angler of the Year! Smoke ’em at Oneida.
wmattlee Thanks @brentchapman2. Been following your impressive year all season. I really look up to you as an angler. Good luck at Oneida!
JenJen3281 Best advice you can give to a first time fisher?
wmattlee Have patience! Get someone to take you somewhere where you can really catch them and you’ll get the bug in a hurry!
JLeefishing Don’t take your brother or sister fishing!
BASS_nation From B.A.S.S. Facebook fan Justin Shelton: Where to fish in this heat? I’ve been everywhere.
JLeefishing Find underwater springs where the water is cooler.
CampusRecAU What is your Favorite Auburn Tradition?
JLeefishing Winning! #wareagle
wmattlee Rolling Toomer’s Corner!
RustyChampion Matt and Jordan, did you guys catch any fish on that pink worm you guys throw all the time?
JLeefishing We caught 22 pounds on drop shot with it at Eufaula.
tommyfrink I just woke up does it hurt my fishing if I like to sleep in?
wmattlee Depending on the lake it can be tough man! Go early, if it gets really miserable and hot go hunt the A/C!
JLeefishing No, because somehow I catch ’em! You know for a fact I don’t wake up early!
wmattlee Isn’t it still like 8 AM in Cali?
tommyfrink It’s like 9 here
vtbasser Congrats boys. Couldn’t ask for better representatives of college fishing on the big stage!
JLeefishing Thanks, Jody! Great to see you. Tight lines.
wmattlee Thanks Jody! Appreciate it bud.
CarterAstin791 Who has the greater hook-up ratio with the worm, @JLeefishing or @wmattlee?
JLeefishing Me, because Matt sets the hook like a girl.
wmattlee Come on kid?? We all know… #yaboy
CarterAstin791 Congrats again guys! See y’all in a week! #wardamneagle #trophylock
codyustazewski Any good tips for fishing a hollow bodied frog?
JLeefishing No. 1 tip is to wait at least 2 seconds after he blows up to set the hook. You hook a lot more of them that way.
wmattlee Don’t be scared to throw it around docks or sparse grass. They’ll almost always bite a frog! 65 Braid!
codyustazewski Thanks for the help!
JSJbassfishing Seriously yall best not forget the good ole southern collegiates!!
wmattlee I’ll never forget my roots kid!
LaneKindle Good luck at Grand. Its an amazing place. No grass to flip though lol
wmattlee That’s what I hear… Oh well. Gonna have to catch them some other way…
jhortonfish Congrats Matt & Jordan. You done a great job representing the SEC and congrats to Matt for making the classic!
JLeefishing Thanks a lot! WAR EAGLE, Jamie!!
wmattlee Thanks Jamie! Appreciate the support? How’s that football team looking this year?
CampusRecAU From Branden – What are the first things you look for when you fish at a mystery lake?
JLeefishing Deeper grass beds. In the summer, that’s always a good place to start.
wmattlee Take time of year into consideration and types of available cover. Water clarity can also have a major impact!
theRandyHowell Hey guys this is Randy Howell. Congrats on your accomplishments! Matt, you will love the Classic and Jordan you will be there soon!
JLeefishing Thanks! Can’t wait to be there. Good luck in AOY!
wmattlee Thank you @theRandyHowell. You gonna catch them at the @Bass_nation final stop? #Oneida
theRandyHowell Looking forward to Oneida! Good luck and God Bless!
teejstone War Eagle from South Carolina! What kind of prep will you do before heading into the classic?
JLeefishing I’m going to buy some new cold-weather @Carhartt gear because it’s going to be FREEZING!
wmattlee War Eagle! A lot of online research looking at old tournaments but mostly spending a lot of time on the water!
teejstone Nice! Also, you guys should sell those Auburn fishing team jerseys. Those things are sick!
wmattlee We sell some T-Shirts. The school won’t let us sell the jerseys. Copyright issue… #stinks
FightinNole What should high school anglers do to improve their chances of getting a fishing scholarship to college?
JLeefishing There’s only one school that offers a fishing scholarship, Bethel, and you don’t want to fish for them! 🙂 #wareagle
wmattlee Study hard! Good grades = Good scholarships!! But when you aren’t studying keep a line in the water!!
katierary What is something I could do to make Tommy Biffle proud? #bifflelove
wmattlee flip that grass!! stay shallow! #tommy
BASS_nation Thanks for tuning in, fans! We’re glad to have @jleefishing and @wmattlee representing our sport.
JLeefishing Thanks @BASS_Nation for the opportunity that you have given us.
JLeefishing I also want to thank all my Auburn team members and local fishermen for getting me to this point.
JLeefishing I’m really looking forward to growing in the sport. This has been a great starting place for me.
wmattlee Humbled and blessed! Thank you college anglers, friends, family, and @BASS_nation for all your support. Means the world to me!
wmattlee Thank you all for tuning in this morning! Feel free to ask any other questions! #WarEagle