Having just concluded its fourth year, the Indian Creek Fishing Club hasn’t been around as long some of its competitors.
This doesn’t mean it isn’t making its presence felt.
On June 6, the team won the Indiana Bass Nation high school state championship at Brookville Lake, located in rural southeastern Indiana.
For those involved, it’s merely a competitive extension to an activity they’ve enjoyed most of their lives.
“It’s just a lot of country boys who like to fish,” said Carson Volz, who is about to enter his freshman year at Indian Creek High School. “Fishing takes a lot of patience to learn how to figure out a lake. You get something new every day.”
The Indian Creek club, comprised of 16 members ranging from 18-year-old Max Wise to 11-year-old Uriah Scott, has gradually grown in popularity.
Four of the 50 high school division (grades 8-12) boats that qualified for the tournament at Brookville Lake were from Indian Creek, which had previously competed at Lake Patoka, Lake Wawasee and Lake Monroe.
A total of 25 junior division (grades 2-8) boats qualified, including three representing Indian Creek.
Each high school boat includes two anglers and a captain. Only the students are permitted to fish, while the captain drives the boat. They earn points catching largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, weighing a maximum of five bass meeting the length requirement.
At Lake Wawasee, fish being weighed must measure at least 12 inches; the number bumps up to 14 inches at Brookville Lake and Lake Monroe and 15 at Lake Patoka.
Final standings are determined by the overall weight of the fish each boat brings in.
Carson Volz and Jackson Neibert placed third at state in the high school division with a total weight of 10.15 pounds. Aaron Spurgeon and Garrett Bolin were sixth, weighing four bass at 7.68 pounds and Trent Volz and Blayden Mann were seventh (three fish, 6.10).
The Indian Creek junior division boats also excelled as Wyatt Wise and Isaac Spurgeon were third by weighing in three fish at 5.01 pounds. They were the No. 1 boat in the junior circuit in total points, finishing with two third-place performances on the four-tournament schedule.
“It’s just a learning experience, really, and I’m fishing with some of my better friends,” said Wise, who’ll be an eighth-grader this fall. “It’s a lot of fun out there on the water. I just grew up fishing, and have learned to like it more and more every year.
This past October, the Volz brothers qualified for junior nationals, placing 11th at 1,000 Acre Lake in Carroll County, Tennessee.
A new season begins July 10 with Indian Creek participating in the Indiana Bass Federation (IBF) tournament at Rocky Point, located on the Ohio River. Anglers will fish for largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass with a 12-inch length minimum.
For those taking part, fishing is the unique combination of relaxation and competition. A method of showing off skills learned, in most cases, at a very young age.
“We’ve been fishing most of our lives, at least since we’ve been in this house, which is 12 years,” said Trent Volz, who’ll be a sophomore at Indian Creek. “There are four lakes near the high school. All of us on the team are diehard fishermen.”
