GV Magazine goes fishing with club sports; to Mars with engineering

Grand Valley Magazine went on a fishing trip with the bass fishing team, a club sport, and captured some amazing photographs and a video during an evening on the water. 

The summer issue of the magazine will be delivered to homes shortly; the website, gvsu.edu/gvmagazine, is live.

The fishing team competes nationally, and outgoing club president Justin Bruno says that the sport is deeply competitive but is often overlooked by the non-fishing public. 

Even though the team has only existed for five years, the team has spent significant time at the top of the national club rankings. They have traveled extensively to compete in tournaments. 

Generally tournaments are decided by which team catches the five largest fish over a fixed period of time fishing. The largest bass Bruno has ever caught was 6.75 pounds, and roughly 22 or 23 inches long.

He said the secret to catching big fish and doing well at tournaments is being mentally tough. 

"It's all about making decisions. We're in an eight-hour tournament, and every decision you make, whether you decide to go to a spot a half hour away or stay fishing where you are, whoever makes the best decisions at the end of the day is normally the winner," Bruno said. 

"There's no replacement for time on the water. It helps you know what to do when weather conditions change, how to adjust to know where the fish are going and things like that. That's how you win tournaments."

Other Grand Valley Magazine summer issue features include:

• Students in the supply chain management program enjoy a competitive advantage in the workforce because the program includes all three components of supply chain — procurement, operations and logistics.

• Current events are playing a larger role at the Hauenstein Center, as a divisive national political climate and Donald Trump’s presidency draw more people into the political realm.

• The Laker Marching Band celebrates its 40th anniversary season.

• Engineering students successfully completed a mission for NASA.