Bass team making a splash

It was a cold and windy weekend in eastern Iowa with water surrounding the boats in Coralville Reservoir and rain dropping steadily from the sky during the sixth annual Big Ten Bass Fishing Classic. On Oct. 13, the rainy weather prevented the Hoosiers from catching any bass long enough to qualify. But on Sunday, as the freezing wind continued, sophomore Brian Metzler was able to reel in a large enough fish. It would prove to be the winner.\n"Only two fish were brought into scale," club president Danny Blandford, a graduate student, said. "Brian Metlzer and a guy from Purdue were the only ones that caught fish over 15 inches, which was the legal limit agreed upon before the tournament. Brian's fish was two pounds, 14 ounces and was over a pound heavier than the other fish."\nSenior Matt Haddix, the club's vice president, said like many of his teammates, he was able to catch enough fish at the tournament, but none of them were big enough.\n"I had a few that were almost keepers," Haddix said. "One was a half-inch under the limit, but it was tough for everyone out there."\nBlandford agreed that it was a tough lake, and the less than ideal weather conditions didn't help.\n"It was 32 degrees that day, so it was really cold," Blandford said. "And it's much tougher to catch bass after a cold front. (Metzler) really came through, and he caught it when it counted."\nIU has caught quite a few bass when it has counted in the past decade. When IU defeated six other Big Ten schools to take the Big Ten Cup home with them two weeks ago, it was the third time it had done so in the six-year history of the event. \nThe other important annual tournament on the schedule for the Hoosiers is the Old Minnow Bucket match with the Purdue bass fishing club. The tournament location alternates every spring between Lake Schaffer in West Lafayette or Lake Monroe in Bloomington. IU, who holds the Old Minnow Bucket, will host the next meeting of the two schools March 29, 2002.\nSince being established as the first collegiate club of its kind in 1987, the IU Bass Fishing Club has gained a reputation as one of the elite. Freshman Justin Cravens, club secretary, stated that the reputation was one of the reasons he decided to join during his first year at IU.\n"I'd read a lot about it in the fishing world," Cravens said. "It was in a lot of publications."\nMany members of the club try to go fishing once a week if their schedules and the weather permit it.\n"I usually try to get out once a week from mid-March through mid-November," Haddix said. "That's the season to go, but anytime after that the weather is just too tough to try."\nHaddix also said his favorite features of being one of about 25 members in the club are the road trips and the team aspects. One event that builds team camaraderie is the banquet and formal dinner before tournaments. The next banquet's details are being worked out.\n"At the banquet before the Old Minnow Bucket tournament the fishermen are paired with their partner for the tournament," Blandford said. "Each angler is paired with an angler from Purdue."\nFor more information about the IU Bass Fishing Club, visit www.indiana.edu/~bassclub or e-mail Blandford at iubassclub@yahoo.com.