Meet the Fighting Falcons

Fairmont State headed to CF National Championship

Fairmont State University teammates Brent Dodrill and Wil Dieffenbauch speak with National Guard pro Justin Lucas Monday afternoon. Fairmont State finished fifth overall. Photo by Brett Carlson. Anglers: Brent F Dodrill, Wil Dieffenbauch.

March 4, 2010 • Brett Carlson • Abu Garcia College Fishing

(Editor’s note: Leading up to the inaugural National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship, which will be held at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., April 10-12, CollegeFishing.com will post semiweekly feature stories highlighting the 25 teams that qualified. At stake in the tournament is a prize package of $100,000 and a chance to compete in the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup.)

Name: Wil Dieffenbauch (pictured at left)

Class: sophomore

Major: Civil Engineering

Hometown: Hundred, W. Va.

Other interests: collecting wild sneakers

Name: Brent Dodrill (pictured at right)

Class: sophomore

Major: Occupational Safety

Hometown: Fairmont, W. Va.

Other interests: hunting, baseball and anything outdoors

Q&A

CollegeFishing.com: How were you introduced to fishing?

Dieffenbauch: I was introduced to fishing while camping with my family and grandparents. I caught my first fish when I was a year old and it was a largemouth. My dad and I fished local ponds and as I grew older, we would take my grandpa’s old Starcraft Spitfire (16-foot bass boat) out on the Ohio River. I fished my first tournament with my dad when I was seven or eight and have been hooked on competitive fishing ever since.

Dodrill: I was introduced to fishing when I was about 2 years old. My dad took me and my two brothers out on our Ranger boat almost every weekend. I grew up fishing on the Tygart and Monongahela River. Every weekend my family and I would head up to an area in the Tygart River the locals call the “shallows.” The “shallows” is a place where you can stand in the water, swim, and catch a lot of fish. This is where and when my love for fishing really began.

CollegeFishing.com: What style/method of fishing are you most comfortable with?

Dieffenbauch: I can fish just about any lure, rig, or style. Over the years, I’ve had to learn many different techniques. You have to be versatile in order to catch them on a daily basis in West Virginia. If you can catch fish on the Ohio River, you can catch fish anywhere. I enjoy the tournaments that are tough. That’s when I feel I have my biggest advantage – when you can’t afford to make a mistake because you won’t get a second chance. Where I live, I’m used to fishing for only five or six bites a day and praying they all keep. It makes me mentally stronger, in what is really, a mental sport.

Dodrill: My most comfortable style of fishing would be throwing spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and jigs. For me, these baits seem to produce not quantity fish but quality fish. I like covering a lot of water and finding those bigger bites.

CollegeFishing.com: What did it feel like to qualify for the inaugural National Championship? How do you plan to prepare for the big event?

Dieffenbauch: It felt amazing to qualify. I was a nervous wreck because I thought we blew it. We were tied for the lead after day one but on day two, we didn’t catch a keeper until the last hour and I probably wouldn’t have been able to feel that fish in the waves and wind if I wasn’t using an All Pro Rod. It was awesome though. Even the qualifying tournament on the Potomac River was unreal. That was the first time Brent and I fished together and it was amazing how well we worked as a team. And then to win was unbelievable. At that moment, I knew, even though we’re from a small college, we could go a long way in these competitions. We plan on spending our spring break by practicing in Tennessee.

Dodrill: When I found out I had qualified for the National Championship I didn’t know what to do or say. I was speechless! I am so blessed and thankful for the opportunity and to do as well as we have. I never would have dreamed something like this would happen. It is a dream come true for me. I can’t wait to fish Fort Loudoun and I plan on practicing as much as I can when I get a break from my schoolwork. I am hoping that in March I will be able to make it down to Knoxville during a few weekends or during our spring break.

CollegeFishing.com: Tell us something interesting about yourself that most people wouldn’t know.

Dieffenbauch: I won four state casting championships as a child. As a junior, I won three state fishing championships and finished fourth at the 2006 National Guard Junior World Championship on Lake Neely Henry. At 18, I joined a fishing club with my dad and began fishing tournaments as an adult. Most recently, I am very proud to say that I created the first Fairmont State bass fishing club, “the Fishing Falcons” and I’m really glad I did.

Dodrill: Something that most people don’t know about me is that I have a hobby of tying lures. I also enjoy making hunting and fishing videos with my two brothers and friends.