The N.C. State University team of Jeff Bumgardner of Wade, N.C., and Will White of Raleigh, N.C., won the National Guard FLW College Fishing Northern Division on Mt. Island Lake Saturday with six bass weighing 21 pounds, 3 ounces. The victory earned the team $10,000 to be split evenly between the university and the university’s bass-fishing club. The win also helped them advance to the Northern Division Regional Championship where they could ultimately win a Ranger 177TR with a 90-horsepower engine wrapped in school colors for their school’s bass club and $25,000 for the school they represent.
“We knew what we were going to do and we pulled up to our first spot, and that’s where we caught all of our fish,” said White, who is a senior Wood Products major. “We caught our limit by 10 o’clock. We actually caught five of our six by 9 o’clock and then it took just a little grinding to get that sixth fish off the rock pile.”
White said the team caught all of their fish on a crawdad-patterned crankbait. White said they caught seven keepers and lost one fish during the course of the day.
“We decided to come in to the weigh-in about 30 to 45 minutes early just to make sure we wouldn’t have to worry about boat trouble or anything of that nature,” said Bumgardner, who is a sophomore General Studies major.
Rounding out the top five teams were Vermont Technical College – Justin Brouillard of Rochester, Vt., and Ben Cayer of Bethel, Vt., (three bass, 8-10, $5,000); Christopher Newport – Ryan Ingalls of Fairfax, Va., and Joe Wilkerson of Falls Church, Va., (two bass, 6-7, $4,000); Rennselaer – Mike Ahrens of Toledo, Ohio and Tom Cooley of Poestenkill, N.Y., (two bass, 5-9, $3,000); Fairmont State University – Wil Dieffenbauch of Hundred, W.V., and Brent Dodrill of Fairmont, W.V., (three bass, 5-8, $2,000).
