Taylor West

Ever since I was a young man, I have always had a passion for the outdoors. I started fishing with a worm and bobber off of our community dock in the late 1990's. As I got older, my interest in fishing expanded and in 2010 I started fishing from a kayak in Chautauqua Lake. From there, I bought a larger plastic boat and began my bass fishing career fishing in embayments near my launch site. In 2014 I started fishing bass tournaments with the Chautauqua Lake Bassmasters winning my first club tournament that summer. That same year I was appointed to the Chautauqua Lake Sports Fisheries Advisory Board, which I still serve on today. It was due to my early passion for fisheries and my love for the water that I decided to pursue a Bachelors of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife Science from Paul Smith's College. While at college, I started a collegiate bass fishing team through the college's athletics program where I competed in the FLW College Series and the New York The Bass Federation (TBF) College Tournament Series. During my time in college I was fortunate enough to win the NY TBF College State Championship Cup and represent the State at Collegiate Nationals at Lake Pickwick in Alabama.

I graduated from Paul Smith's College in 2018 with my Bachelors of Science and a minor in Geographic Information Systems. Currently I am a Communications Coordinator for the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance, a member of the Chautauqua County Sports Fisheries Advisory Board, and Secretary of the Chautauqua Lake Bassmasters.

I am looking forward to educating attendees of this event about the tremendous resource that we have in the southwestern corner of New York State called Chautauqua Lake.