The Purdue University team of Charles Spicer of Arcola, Ind., and Chris Kaiser of Carmel, Ind., won the National Guard FLW College Fishing Central Division event on Kentucky-Barkley lakes Saturday with six bass weighing 24 pounds, 3 ounces. The victory earned the team $10,000 to be split evenly between the university and the university’s bass-fishing club. This marks the third win for a Purdue University team in four Central Division events this season. Needless to say, Purdue will be well represented at the regional.
At the Central Division Regional Championship, 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.
“This is pretty awesome,” said Kaiser. “We’re both freshmen and this is our first FLW (event), so we’re pretty pumped.
“We’ve done a lot of research and a lot of work, and it just all came together,” Kaiser added.
Kaiser said the pair caught their fish deep cranking chartreuse and blue crankbaits on pea gravel points.
“We don’t really do that much in Indiana,” Kaiser said. “I had one tied on in the morning and he didn’t, and I caught a 4-pound smallie in the first five minutes, so he put on a deep crank, we put the trolling motor on high and we covered water, and it worked out.”
In second place was Indiana University – Jesse Schultz and Dustin Vaal, both of Bloomington, Ind., (six bass, 21-13, $5,000). Schultz and Vaal won the Central Division Regional last fall on Kentucky Lake to qualify for the National Championship this year.
In third was Missouri State University – John Rose of Ballwin, Mo., and Brad Dunaway of Springfield, Mo., (six bass, 20-7, $4,000). Followed by Eastern Kentucky – Kyle Raymer of Brandenburg, Ky., and Jonas Ertel of London, Ky., (three bass, 19-6, $3,000) in fourth and College of the Ozarks – Nathan Lawrence of Nixa, Mo., and James Lea of Hollister, Mo., (six bass, 19-0, $2,000) rounding out the top five.
The next National Guard FLW College Central Division tournament is the Central Regional Championship scheduled for Nov. 4 at Lake Monroe. The top five teams in each qualifying event advance to one of five televised three-day National Guard FLW College Fishing Regional Championships. College Fishing is free to enter, boats and drivers are provided by FLW Outdoors and all collegiate teams receive a travel allowance.
