Meet the Hoosiers

Indiana University teammates Vaal, Bressler share their thoughts on qualifying for the 2012 National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship

Indiana University teammates Steven Bressler (left) and Dustin Vaal show off their catch. The duo will be competing in the FLW College Fishing National Championship this April. Anglers: Dustin Vaal, Steven Bressler.

February 6, 2012 • Gary Mortenson • Abu Garcia College Fishing

(Editor’s note: Leading up to the 2012 National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship – slated for April 13-15 on Lake Murray in Columbia, S.C. – CollegeFishing.com will publish weekly, in-depth features stories of each of the 25 national championship team 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 2012 Forrest Wood Cup.)

Name: Steven Bressler (pictured on left)

Class: Senior

Major: Public Financial Management

Hometown: Fremont, Ind.

Other interests: Whenever I am not out on the water, especially during the winter months, I am a huge movie buff. The classics such as Die Hard with a Vengeance, Blazing Saddles and Wayne’s World never get old. I also love to cook. Give me anything Italian and I can make it.

Name: Dustin Vaal (pictured on right)

Class: Senior

Major: Management

Hometown: Saint Meinrad, Ind.

Other interests: Since bass fishing takes up most of my free time, I really do not have much time to do anything else. However, in the offseason (winter), I love to play basketball and lift weights. I used to play high school basketball and when intramural season rolls around in the winter, I love to keep my competitive juices flowing by playing a full intramural season of basketball. I also like to lift weights because you can set personal goals that are hard to achieve; and it is just another way in which I have learned to push myself in order to achieve those goals.

Club Web site: iufishing.com

Q&A

CollegeFishing.com: How were you introduced to fishing?

Bressler: I have been fishing ever since I can remember. My dad and both of my grandpas taught me – even though most of the time when I went fishing with them, they all seemed to always catch more than I did. But this is what caused me to push myself and learn the fundamentals so I would be able to adapt to each fishing situation correctly.

Vaal: I was introduced to fishing at a very young age. My dad used to take me bluegill fishing when I was still in my diapers. And when I finally became old enough, he began taking me out on the Ranger with him fishing for bass. At the age of 11, I fished in my first bass fishing tournament and ever since then I have been hooked. I remember it pretty well because the whole boat was frosted over and it was snowing. Unfortunately, I caught the only keeper we had that day. Ever since then my dad and I have been fishing about 20 to 30 team bass tournaments every year. And now with college fishing being so popular, I have had the opportunity to travel the country fishing everywhere.

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

Bressler: Ooh, this is a tough one. Give me a Texas-rigged tube or a double-bladed willow leaf spinnerbait and I am in heaven. I learned how to use the spinnerbait growing up fishing in clear, grass-filled lakes and then once I moved to reservoir fishing, I attempted the tube and fell in love. It almost never comes off.

Vaal: Over the past two years I have made myself comfortable with every type of fishing. I used to be strictly a jig and worm angler, but now I feel like I am very capable and productive doing almost anything. Whether it is cranking a crankbait or drop-shotting, I now know that in order to succeed I have to be able to do it all and be confident in doing it. Give me a shallow bite in the bushes and I am in absolute heaven. Give me a bite on a ledge in 15 to 20 feet of water and I will be ecstatic. Or let me find the big ol’ girls on the beds and I’ll find a way to get them in the boat. Fishing is all about confidence and versatility and knowing when and where to be and what to use when you are given a certain condition. It’s a huge puzzle that can be really difficult to put together at times, but when all the pieces fit together there is not a better feeling in the world. The only thing you can do to prepare yourself is being able to use every weapon in the book to get the little green guys in the boat.

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?

Bressler: When I first saw our weight come up on the screen and knew that we qualified for the FLW College Fishing National Championship I was speechless. The tournament at Lake Kinkaid was one of the toughest tournaments I have ever fished. Fishing with my best friend in college has been amazing. He’s really skilled at dirty reservoir fishing and I’m comfortable fishing clear natural lakes. I feel this balance is what can make us dangerous in the championship. Prior to the tournament, we plan to spend a full week down on Lake Murray, learning the lake and seeing what all it has to offer. Most importantly, we would not be where we are today if it was not for our sponsors that represent our local bass club. I would like to thank all them for everything they have done and Dustin and I both hope to bring a national title back home to B-Town. Hoo Hoo Hoo Hoosiers!

Vaal: To qualify for the national championship for the third time in a row feels absolutely amazing. I feel very blessed. I am humbled by the experiences and opportunities that FLW and the National Guard have given me over the past three years and am extremely excited for this event on Lake Murray. Since the championship is in April, I probably will be making two trips to the lake and will most likely be practicing for a total of 10 days. I plan on doing whatever it takes to make Indiana a contender this year.

This is by far one of my most favorite times of the year to fish and I can normally get something figured out in mid April. Some people spend a bunch of time looking a maps, but I feel the best way to prepare myself is to get on-the-water experience and take every opportunity I can get to be on Lake Murray. Once there, I will be there dissecting as many breaks, creeks and bays as possible. If I figure them out in practice or the tournament days, I want to know the other areas of the lake where I can duplicate the pattern. I want to learn how the lake fluctuates in the spring and how the fish react to the conditions of the area. Every lake is different and every lake has its secrets to success. I want to prepare myself for anything the lake throws at us during those five days of competition.

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

Bressler: When I made the transition from fishing clear water in northern Indiana to tackling the Monroe Reservoir my freshman year, it was extremely difficult. I took a look at the lake and could not believe how people actually fished in that filthy muddy water. I went my whole freshman year of college not weighing in a single fish during any one of our tournaments. After that experience, I brought my boat down to IU and began practicing whenever I go the chance. Having a boat to go out on the water whenever I had the chance gave me the opportunities to advance on the leaderboard in overall weights. By sophomore year, I was right near the top. To this day, people still keep asking me how many fish I weighed in my whole freshman year. Hopefully the next time I hear that question I will be holding a national championship trophy in my arms, quieting the crowd.

Vaal: I made the dean’s list in the spring of 2011. I don’t really get embarrassed. And I find humor in everything.