Catch of the day: UNC and Duke fishing clubs

Though it lacks the size and popularity of other sports teams, the Carolina Fishing Club shares the same fierce rivalry with its Durham counterpart.

Eighteen UNC and Duke students drove out to University Lake early Sunday morning for their third annual bass fishing competition for charity.

“I just hope we beat those guys,” said UNC junior Josh Weinstein, who participated in the competition.

Whichever team of two fishermen had the heaviest combined catch would win the competition for its school. Duke took the title, with a two-person catch of 18 pounds, 6 ounces.

Santosh Shanmuga, president of the Duke Bass Fishing Team, said each club sent out two members per boat, and each boat paid a $20 entry fee.

The fishermen arrived before 7 a.m. and stayed on the lake for about seven hours.

Senior Assistant Lake Warden Robert Glosson said the creek-fed lake had a variety of game fish.

“We run the spectrum,” he said. “I’ve seen fish as small as the hook that caught it up to 9 and a half pounds.”

Glosson, who has worked at the lake for 29 years, said many of the team members from both schools come there regularly and have caught some impressive fish.

UNC sophomore Michael Ricketts said he had a strategy in mind for the competition. He kept his lure close to the surface of the water, partly because of the way the fish is caught.

“You just see the water blow up, and you see the fish blow up on it,” he said.

UNC sophomore Eric Dean, who partnered with Weinstein, caught a 7-pound, 9-ounce fish, the largest catch for the UNC team.

“It took the entire day, more or less,” he said.

“Fishing is all about luck.”

Weinstein didn’t have as much luck, bagging a 3-pound bass.

But he said he learned a lot from a fellow fisherman who happened to be out on the lake.

“I called in the bass savior — the bass Jesus,” Weinstein said, in reference to the man.

He said after they followed this man’s advice, the day’s catch improved significantly.

When the fish were all weighed, Shanmuga and his partner had the largest shared catch for the Duke team.

He said the team will donate the $180 prize to the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

“It’s for charity, but it’s good to win,” he said.

“It’s always nice to beat UNC at something.”

Weinstein, who will be the team’s president next year, said he is going to try and put the fishing club on the map, and to start, he will win the next competition.

“I know how to fish this lake now,” he said.

“It’s all about learning as you go.”

Contact the desk editor at university@dailytarheel.com.