HILLSBORO, Ill. - The bass fishing team had their second of three qualifiers this past weekend at Glenn Shoals Lake.  The lake is located 25 miles north of campus, near Hillsboro.

With the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon moving through the area over the weekend and dumping five to eight inches of rain, the Panthers were in for a tough weekend of fishing. Water was high and muddy in parts of the lake along with a stiff wind out of the north when the team arrived at the boat ramp. Despite the conditions, the cooler weather was welcomed by the team as they donned jeans and sweatshirts for take-off at 6:30 a.m.

It was a slow start to the day for most with only a few fish that were short of the 15 inch minimum being caught, with the exception of Cordell Beckmann. He was able to stick two keeper sized fish early in the windy and overcast conditions.

Shane Campbell, a graduate student on the team, caught both of his keepers midday off of windblown banks. Cordell finished first with his two fish weighing in at 5.18 pounds and Shane finished second with his two weighing 4.49 pounds. Many of the anglers reported catching short fish throughout the day, but a keeper bite was hard to come by.

This qualifier served as the second of three this fall, and it will be followed by the final qualifier hosted on Governor Bond this weekend. The team is hoping for a break in the tough fishing that has seemed to grip the area lately.

If you participate in the All College Hike on Wednesday, come for a boat ride with one of the team members! It will be giving boat rides on Governor Bond all day and it is a great chance to meet some of the team members and learn a little more about their sport.