IU bass fishermen currently in 2nd place in 3-day tournament

On day two of a three-day regional fishing tournament at Lake Monroe, IU bass fishermen Jesse Schultz and Dustin Vaal fueled on donuts and a deeper hunger for monster fish.

With knowledge of the lake on their side, they are currently in second place among five final teams angling for a $50,000 prize. The two men won this tournament last year on Kentucky Lake near Murray, Ky.

They’ve caught six fish for a two-day total of 20 pounds and 3 ounces.

Zack Wojtowicz, a fellow IU Bass Fishing Club member who follows the team in his boat during the tournament, said the fishermen have been bagging their best near the end of the day.

On Thursday, they caught two within the last 15 minutes of the day and today they caught all four after noon. The cutoff time is 3 p.m.

The final day is Saturday. Schultz said he and Vaal will continue their technique of hitting all their favorite spots quickly.

“When the fish aren’t biting, you have to move around a lot,” he said. “It’s not really luck but going to spots that you have confidence in. You can’t count luck out of the picture, but you have to work harder than it.”

Truman State University is in first place with 10 fish and 21 pounds, 15 ounces. The top five teams out of an initial 20 will advance Saturday for a shot at the money.

At 8:30 Friday morning, the temperature was just at freezing and the fishermen ate a quick donut breakfast. They waved to their parents and fellow club members, then launched their boat among the other competing schools at the Cutright boat ramp.

FLW Outdoors and the National Guard sponsor the event and a fishing festival in the tailgating fields near the DeVault Alumni Center from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Final weigh-in, which Schultz said will hopefully draw in the post-football game crowd, is open to the public at 4 p.m. Saturday at the fields.