Hello Fishidy blog readers! My name is Jordan Truttschel, I hail from the small town of Kiel, Wisconsin, population just shy of 4k.
I graduated in May 2011 from UW-Whitewater with a degree in finance and an emphasis in financial planning. I fished on the UWW fishing team and did so with some success. I have competed at the Regional Championship level twice, and the National Championship this past spring where my partner and I finished 16th.
I grew up fishing walleye and panfish, but got hooked when I “accidentally” started picking up these mean, green, fightin’ machines known as largemouth bass. My grandpa and I would go out fishing for gills until the other one would secretly cast out a worm and pull in a largemouth.
Here’s a little more about me:
- My favorite species to catch has to be smallmouth bass because the incredible fight they put up every time I get one on the line, big or small!
- My favorite techniques are swimming a jig, throwing a frog, and working a jerkbait.
- My favorite lake, probably because Tyler Netzer (my tournament partner) and I have done well there, is Lake of the Ozarks. It has BIG fish, tons of action, and it is completely different than most lakes around the Mid-West. Plus, I can crush ‘um on a Megabass jerkbait from sunup to sundown!
I’ll be contributing to the Fishidy blog as much as I can. Why? Well, because I’ve got a whole lot to say about fishing. It’s my life, it’s my passion and I like sharing it with my buddies!
Now, let’s talk a little bit more about college fishing.
That’s right, I said FISHING IN COLLEGE! You can now go into a four-year degree program and become a collegiate fisherman. Now, obviously your degree program does not contain Largemouth 101 or The Art of Swimmin’ a Jig 244, but you sure learn the science of fishing much faster than ever before once you compete in the college ranks.
The FLW College Fishing Tour was started back in 2009 and was sponsored by the National Guard. This small college series, divided into five regions, has exploded onto the national scene in a matter of months, and had 500 colleges and universities competing this year alone! I don’t think this sport is done growing either, especially with the amounts of winnings on the line for the school and the bass clubs. First place at any of the four qualifiers is $10,000 dollars, regionals is $25,000 and a Ranger boat valued at $25,000, and winning the National Championship yields $75,000 and a Ranger boat valued at $25,000.
Ranger Boats with 250hp Mercury or Evinrude engines are provided at the championship levels that the anglers operate themselves. This gives them the experience of being a professional fisherman for four days. The championships air on Versus, which means college anglers get to do TV and radio interviews, recorded weigh-ins, and have stories written about them. The best part, the series is absolutely free to compete in! Entry is free for all tournaments, expense checks are provided for driving mileage and it’s really easy to join. Collegefishing.com has all the information you need to start up your own club at the college/university you’re attending.
The FLW College Fishing Series is a great way to network and meet other college and professional anglers. Most of the tournaments run alongside the Everstart series and weigh-ins are done in conjunction with each other. The pros are always willing to talk with the college anglers and share their knowledge and experiences about the sport.
The competitive nature between the different college teams is what keeps anglers coming back for more. Many rivalries have been born, friendships created and memories made. Nothing feels better than bringing in a good bag of fish to the weigh-ins and seeing your name on the leader board. Plus, this is as close to being a Professional Fisherman as you can get!
**By the way, I’m fishing the Central Regional Championship right now! Watch the weigh-in live today at 4pm at http://www.collegefishing.com/ (we’re the 3rd boat so should be pretty early on in the weigh-in).
