UIndy Reels in a New Club for 2013
University of Indianapolis students started the Sportsman Fishing Club for those interested in learning about fishing and wanting to fish competitively. Senior accounting major Cody Clarke, president of the group, started the club in the spring of this year after hearing about fishing clubs at other colleges.
“Some of my buddies at IU and Ball State were talking about how they found a fishing club. I like to fish a lot, so I thought I might as well make one here,” Clarke said.
The club has 12 members who meet once a month to discuss and plan events. The club participates in many events as well as organizes times to go fishing just for fun. According to Clarke, some people in the group are not looking to compete but just enjoy fishing.
The fishing club does not have many things planned for the fall and winter because of the cold weather, but in the spring members will try to go out on the weekends. According to Clarke, they will the club into groups that compete against each other, and find other schools with which to start tournaments. Most of the current meetings are spent planning for the competitions and fishing trips.
“We will bring out a map of the lake we are fishing at,” Clarke said. “We will talk about where to fish and the things we have had success with in the past. We also try to find good times to fish, when the most people can come.”
According to member Chris Barcelona, currently in the M.B.A. program at UIndy, the group is still in the building stage, meaning that members spend a lot of time just working on certain aspect of fishing, such as reading maps, casting lines and lure selection.
“We will work a lot on the basics of fishing. That’s for those who are still working on their fishing to improve in their knowledge,” Barcelona said.
One of the more common techniques that the members use is fishing with a fake worm called a jig worm. According to Clarke, this is a slower, more methodical way to fish. Clarke said that another way is to use spinner bait, which is quicker, and you will always be moving.
“I know it’s not like sports where you have plays, but there are a lot of plans you go through,” Clark said. “And it depends on the weather and time of the year, especially.”
One of Barcelona’s favorite aspects of the fishing club is being able to fish competitively.
“It’s really cool to be able to incorporate the competition, like you have in other sports,” Barcelona said.
Most of the tournaments that the fishing club participates in take place over one full day. Boat launch is usually at 6 a.m., and the competitors stay out on the water until 4 p.m. At the end of the day, the team chooses five fish to keep from among the ones they have caught that day.
“They will weigh the total of the five fish that the team caught, and the total weight of the fish will be our placement in the competition,” Clarke said.
According to Clarke, the club will compete in the Bass and Forest L. Wood fishing tournaments against other colleges. About 50 schools compete in these tournaments, which are very similar to pro fishing competitions.
The UIndy fishing club has three FLW tournaments to compete in this spring and already has had the opportunity to take part in a tournament this past summer. Barcelona participated in a competition in June where UIndy fishing club members placed seventhout of 50.
The fishing club also will participate in the Ice Bucket tournament on March 26. UIndy will face the fishing clubs from Indiana University, Purdue University and Ball State University at Geist Reservoir. The winning team will take home a trophy for this event, and it is then the winning team’s responsibility to plan next year’s Ice Bucket tournament.
According to Clarke, the club is open to anyone and always looking to expand. Students who are interested in joining do not necessarily need any fishing experience. The club is for those who just want to fish for fun and for those who like to fish competitively.
“No one wants to fish alone,” Clarke said. “It’s a good way to make friends, but also competitive for those who want to fish in the FLW and Bass tournaments.”
