The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Jordon Truttschel, Kiel, Wis., and Tyler Netzer, Lake Mills, Wis., hold the lead after day one at the National Guard FLW College Fishing Central Division Regional Championship on Lake Monroe with four bass weighing 9 pounds, 7 ounces. The team has a 1 pound, 4 ounce lead over Indiana University, Jesse Schultz, New Albany, Ind., and Dustin Vaal, Bloomington, Ind., with two bass weighing 8-3. Teams are competing this week for a top prize worth $50,000 and qualifying for a shot at the FLW College National Championship.
“We fished hard all day long,” said Jordan Truttschel a senior in Finance. “The bait fish were key for us today; the bass really seemed to be packed up around those baby fish. We pretty much stayed in one area which was a spot we found in our pre-fish a couple of weeks ago. That spot really paid off for us. We’ll start in the same area tomorrow and depending on the weather stick with pretty much the same baits we used today; we’ll make adjustments if we have to.”
“It’s great to be in this position,” added Tyler Netzer also a senior in Finance. “It’s not about finishing in the top five, we fish to win every day. You can’t let the pressure get to you, if you do, you’ll just crumble. Our plan for tomorrow is to stay level headed and to go out our there and whack ?em again.
“We fished at the Lake of the Ozarks last March to qualify for this tournament and that was 37 degrees with wind, rain, and hail all day long so the cold doesn’t scare us. Besides, we’re from Wisconsin; we’re used to this stuff.”
Rounding out the top five teams are:
| 3rd: | Winona State University | Jerry Jonsgaard, St. Charles, Minn., and Zac Cassill, Fairfax, Iowa | four bass | 7-15 |
| 4th: | Eastern Kentucky | Kyle Raymer, Brandenburg, Ky., and Jonas Ertel, London, Ky. | five bass | 7-13 |
| 5th: | Truman State University | Mike McCarthy Jr., Chesterfield, Mo., and Spencer Clark, Kirksville, Mo. | four bass | 7-13 |
Each school team represented in the televised regional championship have team shirts and boats provided by Ranger. The purse for each regional championship includes a Ranger 177TR with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Yamaha outboard wrapped in school colors for the winning club and $25,000 for the school they represent. Awards of $6,000 extend through fifth place for the club and school to split evenly.
Anglers will take off from Cutright Ramp located at 8012 Knightridge Road in Bloomington, Ind., at 8:30 a.m. each morning. Weigh-ins will be held at Indiana University – Memorial Stadium located at 700 E 17th Street in Bloomington beginning at 4 p.m. on Friday and 3 p.m. on Saturday. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The University of Indiana will be hosting the College Fishing Festival throughout the three day tournament.. Students and fishing fans alike will be treated to live music, the National Guard Warrior Challenge, a Ranger Boat simulator, tailgate games, a sports zone along with contests for cash and several prize give-aways. The festival will take place at Indiana University – Memorial Stadium from 2 – 4 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on Saturday.
Schools competing in this week’s tournament include:
| Eastern Kentucky | John Smith, Richmond, Ky., and Christopher Davis, Lagrange, Ky. |
| Harding University | Seth Presley, Harrison, Ark., and Todd Johnson, Harrison, Ark. |
| Henderson State | Justin Westfall, Nashville, Ark., and Michael Jennings, Arkadelphia, Ark. |
| Missouri State University | John Rose, Ballwin, Mo., and Brad Dunaway, Sedalia, Mo. |
| Northwestern University | Matthew Kestufski, Georgetown, Ill., and Jimmy Morrow, Arlington Heights, Ill. |
| Purdue University | Chad Dunham, West Lafayette, Ind., and Alexander Lowe, Greenfield, Ind. |
| Purdue University | Charles Spicer, Arcola, Ind., and Chris Kaiser, Carmel, Ind. |
| Purdue University – | Chris Bookout, West Lafayette, Ind. and Michael Ruhana, Greenwood, Ind. |
| Southeast Missouri State | Andrew Pinkley, Malden, Mo., and Jim McDevitt, Eldon, Mo. |
| University of Arkansas, Little Rock | Brian Duckett, Little Rock, Ark., and Trent Gephardt, Benton, Ark. |
| University of Iowa | Tyler Mehrl, Cedar Rapids, Iowa and John Mercer, Burlington, Iowa |
| University of Wisconsin, Stout | Jeremy Anibas, Colfax, Wis., and Ryan Helke, Menomonie, Wis. |
| Western Kentucky University | David Stephens, Louisville, Ky., and Andy Southard, Hanson, Ky. |
The two teams representing College of the Ozarks were disqualified for inadvertently violating the information rule.
The top five teams from each regional championship, 25 total teams, will advance to the National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship that will be hosted by Murray State University on Kentucky Lake, April 7-9. The National Championship is a three-day televised event. Teams will be provided jerseys and wrapped Ranger boats towed by Chevy trucks for this competition. The first-place team will win $100,000 with $50,000 of that for their school and $25,000 cash and a Ranger 177TR bass boat for their fishing club along with a berth in the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup.
FLW Outdoors provides boats and drivers for each competing team along with travel allowances. All participants must be registered, full-time undergraduate students at a four-year college or university and members of a fishing club recognized by their college or university.
Coverage of the Central Regional Championship will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS. “FLW Outdoors,” will air Dec. 12 from 1 – 2 p.m. ET. “FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide.
ABOUT FLW OUTDOORS
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 189 tournaments in 2010. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, call (270) 252-1000.By: Julie Huber,
