By Kyle Charters
Asst. Sports Editor

In unfavorable fishing conditions, the Purdue bass fishing club lost the Old Minnow Bucket to Indiana Saturday on Lake Monroe.

The Indiana club caught 14 pounds, nine ounces of fish while the Boilers had eight pounds, four ounces. Indiana's Brad Reuben earned "Big Bass" honors by catching a five-pound, six-ounce fish.

Purdue club member Cory Miller, a freshman in the School of Management, said Friday's weather, which included several strong thunderstorms in the state, was a factor in Saturday's results.

"It was pretty miserable — raining off and on," said Miller. "The cold front definitely affected the fish."

Miller said the water temperature on Lake Monroe near Bloomington never rose above 60 degrees, which caused the fish to be less active. He said he could tell it was going to be a slow day after no fish were caught before 9 a.m. In an attempt to change the trend, Miller said he tried to get any possible advantage.

"I threw every lure in the sack at them," he said. "I threw everything but the kitchen sink, but it didn't help. Our boat driver was trying to come up with ideas but nothing was doing."

Despite the loss, the Boilers did have some solid individual efforts. Brady Miller, a sophomore in the School of Agriculture, caught a four-pound, two-ounce fish. Mike Murphy, a freshman in the Schools of Engineering, and Matt Labhart, a sophomore in the School of Agriculture, both hooked two-pound, one-ounce fish. But that's all the catches that were big enough to be counted for the competition.

"Quite a few people did catch fish, but they weren't keepers; they had to throw them back," said Miller.