Meet the Hoosiers

Schultz and Vaal of Indiana University share their thoughts about qualifying for the 2011 National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship

(Editor’s note: Leading up to the 2011 National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship, slated to be held April 7-9 on Kentucky Lake at Murray State University, CollegeFishing.com will be publishing semiweekly feature stories highlighting the 25 national championship qualifiers. At stake in the tournament is a first-place prize package worth $100,000 as well as a chance for the winning team to compete in the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup.)

Club Web site: www. Iufishing.com

Q&A

CollegeFishing.com: How were you introduced to fishing?

Vaal: My dad has been fishing tournaments as long as I can remember. When I was in diapers he was taking me fishing. I grew up fishing the Ohio River and Patoka Lake and learned from the beginning what tough fishing was all about. I fished my first tournament when I was 10 years old with my dad and we have been doing it ever since. Throughout elementary school and high school I would come home from school, grab a rod and go straight to one of my farm ponds.

Schultz: My entire family fishes, but it was my dad who influenced me to continue fishing throughout my entire life. Dad taught me everything he knew about bass fishing and I soaked it in like a sponge. Every time we fished I wanted to learn as much as possible and couldn’t get enough.

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

Vaal: I love to flip a jig, but over the past few years I have been getting really comfortable with almost any type of fishing. I also like throwing deep-diving crankbaits and a 50/50 Team Supreme spinnerbait. Jesse and I will do whatever it takes to get fish in the boat because that’s what we believe it takes in order to win.

Schultz: I am most comfortable fishing shallow-water cover. I feel most people don’t make the effective cast when fishing shallow. Someone might run down a bank and fish a few stumps without any luck. My experience tells me I could go down the same bank and catch the fish they missed. It’s all about presentation. Sometimes you have to hit the cover at every possible angle, with multiple casts along the same line and vary your retrieve. Sometimes burning a crankbait over a stump or parallel to a tree can cause the fish to react to your bait even if they aren’t hungry.

CollegeFishing.com: What did it feel like to qualify for the 2011 FLW College Fishing National Championship? How do you plan to prepare for the big event?

Vaal: To put it simply, it feels amazing! Coming into college I would have never believed that there would be a tournament of this magnitude and to qualify for it two years running feels like an amazing accomplishment. Jesse and I finished in 10th place last year, but this year it is on Kentucky Lake and we have been very successful there.

To prepare, I will be taking as many trips as possible from early February to the practice cut-off date. Jesse and I already made a trip down there after we won our regional. During that trip, I began marking spots which I believed would be good for spring. Preparation will be huge for this tournament since we only have one practice day, so taking those trips down there this spring will be critical in finding areas to go hit. Kentucky Lake is one of those lakes where a spot can just load up with massive bass at any given point in time, so knowing those spots well will be key in getting a victory.

Schultz: It is great to qualify for the National Championship for the second year in a row. This year’s regional win at home was very special. Winning in front of a home crowd with friends and family cheering you on is truly a rewarding experience. I wasn’t able to have any family attend in person last year during our Kentucky Lake win so this was extra special. Thanks guys! Sounds like most of them are going to make the trip to Kentucky this year. Watch out Wildcats, the Hoosiers are coming!

As far as preparation is concerned, information can give you a huge advantage on the water. Talking with the right people is important but not the answer to winning. Dustin and I really don’t spend too much time talking with other fisherman about fishing locations. Our approach consists of more fishing than anything else. We will spend 10 to 15 days on the water prior to the practice cutoff. These days are so crucial in finding either large groups of fish or big fish in general. Kentucky Lake is always a tricky one because the fish could be on the ledges, points or in the bushes. Finding them is going to be tough. We are going to spend a ton of hours on the water fishing everything we know.

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

Vaal: Something interesting about myself is that I really don’t get embarrassed. You can ask anyone that really knows me, and sometimes I will do random stuff out of the ordinary that probably should embarrass me, but I really don’t seem to feel the effects. I like to laugh so doing stuff like that just makes me laugh instead of giving me that feeling of shame. Something else interesting about me is that I actually fish around 30 tournaments a year. This includes team tournaments that my dad and I fish, IU club tournaments, Thursday night tournaments and pretty much any tournament that is worth fishing in southern Indiana.

Schultz: Most people think fishing and hunting go hand in hand, but not for me. I have never been hunting and really don’t have any interest in hunting. I’m a fisherman day in and day out. In the winter I would love to spend more time in Florida or Louisiana fishing for redfish. However, when I’m not on the water I’m usually working on my computer. I continually research new technology that can give me an edge on other competitors. It’s important to keep up and not get behind on technological advantages. However, even with all the gadgets and gizmos, you still have to find the fish and put them in the boat.