Bemidji State University students Sam Moore and Ross Kellermeier are going fishing. The duo will represent BSU at the 2015 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship & Classic, July 9-11 on Lake DuBay in Stevens Point, Wis.
Moore and Kellermeier qualified for the championship after a 10th-place finish in Bassmaster’s 82-team Midwest Conference Regional Tournament in late May. The duo was one of five two-man teams competing for BSU in the regional, where the top 13 finishers advanced to the national competition.
After placing 54th the first day, Moore and Kellermeier needed a “killer” big fish the second day to cover lost ground. Early in the morning, they got just that. They hooked a four pound, four ounce large mouth bass off the back of the boat.
“We knew after catching the killer that we would be ahead,” Moore said. “We just needed a few more decent fish to guarantee us a spot in the top 20.”
This “killer” ended up to be the second-largest fish of the entire tournament and helped the team jump up to 18th place.
The third day was tricky due to strong winds between 25-30 mph. Moore and Kellermeier started out in a large open spot of the river, but the winds made it impossible for their boat to stay where they wanted. After fighting with their blowing lines, they found a smaller, secluded spot away from the wind and caught five fish within ten to fifteen minutes.
“We were fortunate to get there first,” said Moore, who is president of BSU’s student club fishing team.
The team said high winds chased most boats off the water early on that third day, and after the final weigh-in their catch was enough to move them into a 10th-place finish and earn a spot in the national tournament.
“This is a great opportunity to promote our fishing team,” Moore said. “Within the last year, we’ve gone from five or six students at a meeting to over 30, and we’re proud to say we have two students committed to BSU to fish on our team — both were high school fishing league state contenders.”
Other BSU teams competing in the regional tournament:
- Jake Kurtzweg and Brandon Hiltner, 26th place
- Mitch Swanson and his brother, Thor Swanson, 41st place
- Austin Williams and Garret Haglin, 57th place
- Tyler Robinson and Hayden Roelofs, 67th place
Links
• Bemidji State Fishing Team on Facebook
• National championships Facebook event | website
• Final regional tournament weigh-in
BSU’s Regional Championships competitors
Albany – Brandon Hiltner; senior, art & design
Blaine – Mitch Swanson; sophomore, business administration
Blaine – Thor Swanson; freshman, criminal justice
Crystal – Samuel Moore; junior, mass communication
Darwin – Jake Kurtzweg; sophomore, business administration
East Gull Lake – Austin Williams; sophomore, business administration and computer science
Edina – Ross Kellermeier; freshman, environmental studies and aquatic biology
Glyndon – Hayden Roelofs; junior, industrial technology
Ham Lake – Tyler Robinson; sophomore, aquatic biology
Nisswa – Garrett Haglin; sophomore, business administration