MORE FISH IN THE SEA
On the morning of March 23rd, the Harvard Fishing Club finally found itself on the water, in live competition for the first time.
“The first day, we weren’t really sure what to do,” Cominsky said. “Neither Jake or I had ever competed in a tournament, so we just drove around, then stayed in one place for awhile. It was kind of a rough day overall. There weren’t many fish caught at all.”
By virtue of their poor finish on the first day, the team was among the first to launch their boat on the beginning of the second day—and their fortunes shifted quickly and dramatically.
“We picked out a spot we hadn’t tried the day before,” Cominsky said. “We were the first group over that area, and we caught four fish in the first 45 minutes, three of which were keepers [at least 14 inches long].”
One of those keepers turned out to be the second-largest fish caught in the morning’s first session, earning Cominsky his place at the podium.
“The thing that surprised me most was that they came to body of water they’d never seen and secured a boat from an individual they’d never met, so seeing them come across stage on the first day was great,” Blandford said. “Just coming down and catching a fish was an accomplishment in itself.”
For the weekend, Harvard finished tenth out of 40 schools in what was one of the largest events in the ACA season so far. Their strong showing in Texas earned them enough points to climb all the way to 28th in the ACA’s national rankings, despite competing in only one tournament.
“They capitalized on the opportunity to earn big points, and that’s what got them in the mix,” Blandford said. “The challenge will be to continue to perform well.”
The Harvard Fishing Club will next take to the waters for the national championships, held in May on Lake Pickwick in Florence, Ala, hoping to build on what proved to be a very successful learning experience in Texas.
“[Tournament fishing] is a lot more intense,” Cominsky said. “You have to be more lucky, and there’s a lot more strategy involved. You’re constantly flying around as fast as you can to different areas.”
Cominsky and Boy’s plans for the future of the club include a deep sea fishing trip in the Boston area, attracting more followers to the club’s Twitter account (@HarvardFC), and organizing fundraising activities in the fall, with the proceeds going to benefit Ducks Unlimited.
Though the club still counts only 14 people in its membership and one tournament under its belt, Cominsky is already planning outreach programs to include as many students as possible in competitive fishing.