IU bass fishers make a splash on national network

Fishing on national TV was “a blast,” for junior \nRyan Queen. \nQueen and Jesse Schultz, sophomore and president of the IU Bass Fishing Club, were nationally televised earlier this year fishing in the Big Ten Classic. And they might make a splash on national TV again, this time competing in the National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship, which took place last September in Lewisville, Texas.\nThe program, which is a one-hour collection of highlights from the tournament, will air at 3 p.m. today on Fox Sports Network and again at 11 a.m. Wednesday. \nAfter the initial shock of the cameras and putting on microphones, “you’re back in the zone of fishing,” Queen said. Competing in a nationally televised fishing tournament was a humbling experience for Schultz, and something he said he always wanted to do. \nQueen said having a film crew nearby was slightly distracting, but it was good experience for the future.\n“Since we’ve had that experience of a camera in the boat, in our next tournament it won’t faze us at all,” \nhe said.\nThe IU Bass Fishing Club, founded in 1989, is the oldest collegiate fishing club in the country, and Queen said bass fishing is the fastest-growing collegiate sport. The club was inactive when Schultz came here one-and-a-half years ago. Schultz revived the club, filed paperwork with IU Recreational Sports, wrote a constitution and recruited members.\n“Jesse is the sole reason why the club got back together,” Queen said. \nThe spring is the busiest season for the club, “not in a fishing sense, but in a working and business sense,” Schultz said. The club is currently trying to find sponsors, and is preparing for its first event, which will be Feb. 15-17 and Feb. 22-24 at the Indianapolis Boat and RV Show. At the show, the club will have a booth and will be selling T-shirts to raise money for the club. Tournaments will begin at the end of March, and the club plans to compete in three, the biggest of which will be the Big Ten Classic. \nCurrently, the club consists of about 15 members, and is looking to expand. Anyone interested in fishing, whether competing in tournaments or just fishing locally, can attend the call-out meeting at 9 p.m. today in Woodburn Hall 006. Students who are interested but unable to attend this meeting can e-mail Schultz at schultz3@indiana.edu.