If you were near the lake last Saturday you probably noticed the Furman University Fishing Club’s fall tournament. Twenty-two competitors, including fishermen from Wake Forest and Clemson, lined the banks for most of the day, all casting for the $100 top prize.
The competition is a catch and release bass fishing tournament, open to all Furman students, faculty, and staff. The person who catches the five largest bass over 12 inches that total the most combined inches is tournament champion.
Furman sophomore Brighton Ernest took the top prize with a combined total length of 72 inches, winning a bag of prizes including Costa Del Mar sunglasses, a hat, and T-shirt in addition to the $100 cash prize. Two more Furman sophomores, Will Turner and Brian Cockman, took second and third place witht 70.5 and 69 inches respectively.
Furman’s club has about 50 members and is free to join for all students. the club takes a fishing charter trip once per semester, and each fall and spring they host a tournament on the lake. It costs $15 to compete, $5 of which goes toward the Furman Lake restoration project while the rest goes to the tournament winner.
Second-place finisher Cockman said he thinks the tournament benefits Furman in multiple ways.
“The lake is loaded with bass.This tournament gives students the opportunity to have a quality fishing experience and also helps provides the science departments with an area for field study,” he said.
Fishing Club president Matt Giordano, a junior, said that the club raised a total of $100 for the lake restoration project.
Just a few years ago fishing was not allowed on Furman’s lake, a fact some older students may remember. However, with the birth of the Furman Fishing Club, students can now be seen along the shores of the lake fishing at all times during the year.
Giordano said the Fishing Club is open to fishermen of all talent levels, whether you have been fishing all your life or are just learning how to bait a hook.
Students interested in joining the Furman Fishing Club or who want to learn more about the upcoming competitions or trips can contact Matt Giordano at [email protected].
