Bass Fishing Team holds first annual Alumni Tournament

On Saturday, 9/24, the SUNY ESF Bass Fishing Team held its first annual Alumni Tournament. A total of 9 alumni, including former presidents and officers, came out to take undergraduate members fishing in an in-club tournament held on Onondaga Lake. Alumni members teamed up with a total of 12 current members of the team to compete. The event was planned to allow new members the opportunity to fish in their first college tournament and to be mentored by those that came before them. Despite a cold front, Onondaga Lake showed out for the team's first event of the season! All but two boats were able to bring in a 5 fish limit, and the winning weight topped nearly 20lbs.

Winning the tournament was the team captained by Nathan Wojslaw (Class of 2022), and freshmen Omar Ashkar and Aurora Sliwinski with a total of 19lbs and 15oz. Known for his drive and passion, perhaps no one can describe Nathan's intensity better than his teammates. "Nate was ripping out on the lake, it was really fun getting put on some 'biggins'", Ashkar said. The team caught their fish shallow on reaction baits, intersecting the first group of bass heading to the shallows for the Fall feed. Aurora Sliwinski, who fished in her first tournament ever on Saturday, looked back on the experience, saying "I couldn't have asked for a better first tournament experience. I made some great memories from this opportunity and on top of that, our boat came out in 1st!" Wojslaw also went home with lunker honors, catching the largest fish of the tournament at 5lbs 9oz.

In a close second was the team captained by Patrick Durand (Class of 2022) and juniors Olivia O'Hara and Conner Grant with a total weight of 19lbs 2oz. The team had a much more diverse strategy, catching fish on swimbaits, senkos, and chatterbaits. No one could be happier they caught fish on swimbaits than big-bait specialist Conner Grant, who, when asked about the event, said simply "Big baits of bust". Like most teams in the top, timing had everything to do with their success. "The morning bite was key for us. We were able to get all 5 of our keepers within an hour. Everyone on my boat contributed to our bag and was able to weigh in fish they caught," Durand noted. Olivia O'Hara spent most of the day with a soft plastic worm locked in her hands, despite noting that she normally hates fishing soft plastics. It certainly paid off, as she caught her personal best largemouth in the tournament, prompting her to say that you just "Gotta give 'em the worm!"

Claiming third place was the team captained by Caleb Konrad (Class of 2018) and freshmen Tyler Ossen and Bethany Hall weighing in with 18lbs 4oz. Konrad is known as one of the best local anglers on Onondaga Lake, and he certainly impressed his undergraduate teammates. "Caleb knew the lake like the back of his hand, and was able to put us on a juicy jig bite all morning," Ossen said. The team experienced a fast and furious morning bite. "The morning started out hot and we had 18lbs by 9am but struggled in the afternoon and couldn't get the kicker bite or two we needed for the win," Konrad said. Nonetheless, third place still paid out $100 for the team's solid bag.

The alumni noted that they were happy to come out and help the team while having fun fishing. "It makes me happy to see the team still going strong with great engagement and a great leader making events like this possible," Konrad said. The more recently graduated Wojslaw reflected on the event, saying "It was great to be able to come back to the team and to take some awesome members out. It was a bonus to have caught some good fish while doing it. I can't wait to see where it [the team] is heading!"

This event would not have been possible without alumni showing out and being willing to take out team members whom they had never met. "I think it speaks to the culture of bass fishing as a whole, as well as to the passion everyone has for the team. When I reached out to these guys with my idea, they were all immediately on-board. Not just that, but they were willing to do whatever it took to help the tournament go smoothly, helping facilitate the whole event. On behalf of the whole team, I can't thank them enough for returning to help get more kids fishing!" said 2022 president and tournament director Nick Sanderson. The team looks forward to continuing this tournament in the coming years, as well as seeing many alumni once again for the teams annual Autism Awareness Tournament held on Onondaga Lake October 15.