BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Former college angler Ryan Wakenigg has turned his passion for the outdoors into his career.
Soon after graduating from Columbus State University in 2014, Wakenigg became the social media specialist for the PRADCO Outdoors Hunting division.
Wakenigg has been an avid hunter, fisherman and outdoor enthusiast for the majority of his life and has found his place right at home in the hunting division of PRADCO. Although he didn’t know it in the moment, college fishing and the preparation involved, helped him work towards and garner a position in his desired field.
“I worked the 2014 Bassmaster Classic expo at the Booyah Baits booth, and I got to meet the PRADCO team for both hunting and fishing,” said Wakenigg. “Then I worked another trade show for them, and by July I had a position there.
“I don’t know if organizing tackle, making sure your school schedule was good to go or talking to sponsors helped prepare me for the real world, but it certainly made me think of different ways to accomplish what I wanted to do in life.”
In his role for PRADCO’s hunting division, Wakenigg is a member of multiple teams, including the marketing team. He deals with brands like Moultrie, Summit tree stands and Knight & Hale game calls. Wakenigg’s extensive outdoor knowledge has allowed him to have a hand in a lot of things.
“It’s good when you were born and raised into this lifestyle because you can connect with others who live the lifestyle as well,” said Martin Hill, online marketing manager for PRADCO Hunting. “Anyone can talk about hunting, but it won’t take long for someone to realize if you know what you’re talking about. Ryan’s knowledge speaks for itself.”
Those college connections gave him an insight into the business, an insight that college anglers only get a small taste of when they organize sponsors for their respective fishing teams.
Marketing is something this Columbus State graduate has wanted to do since working with companies as a pro staff member.
“A lot of people I talk to tell me I’m lucky because they have tried to get into this industry for years,” Wakenigg said. “The fact that I’ve gotten into it at an early age is awesome.”
Wakenigg had an elongated college career that spanned three different schools, but while many things changed over his five years, fishing and hunting were mainstays in his life. Columbus State was his last collegiate stop, and it was where he competed in his final tournament. A 35th-place finish out of 119 teams in the 2014 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Southern Regional on Lake Okeechobee capped off a unique college experience. Not long after, Wakenigg was cemented in the industry with a job.
Most would be amazed at the opportunity, but his Columbus State teammate, Grant Carter, wasn’t surprised with what Wakenigg accomplished.
“When you are on a boat with someone for that long, you really get to know them,” Carter said. “Ryan talked to me about the job opportunity before he graduated, and not long after finishing school, he had it and I wasn’t surprised at all.”
Before Columbus State, Wakenigg was a member of the Georgia Southwestern bass fishing club for a year. He started his college experience at LaGrange College where he started a fishing team. In their first season, he and his teammate, Torre Pike, won an FLW event on Lake Seminole.
“I started a fishing club at LaGrange because I always wanted to fish tournaments,” Wakenigg said. “I put in a lot of hard work, but at the time I never thought of it as hard work because I was just investing time in my hobbies and passions.
“It really helped me prove to myself that if you put your mind to something that you are passionate about and put in the hard work, then the opportunity for success is based on you and your results.”
