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OREGON FOCUS Local bass fisher eyes return to collegiate championships Jacksonville's Jacob Wall plans to atone for mediocre showing last year Comment By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted May. 8, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated May 13, 2015 at 11:22 AM By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted May. 8, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated May 13, 2015 at 11:22 AM » Social News Jacob Wall's baptism into the top tier of collegiate bass fishing went more like a dunking last year when his University of Oregon team showed up in Georgia just two hours before the national championship started, and it went downhill from there. The two-man team fishing in U of O's bass club never recovered and was looking up on the leaderboard the entire tournament. This year Wall, of Jacksonville, is headed back to the national championships with a new partner and a new pre-tournament strategy that he hopes will catapult this Duck squad into the upper echelon of national collegiate bass angling. "Nothing really went well last year," says Wall, 20, a sophomore. "I'm going back this year for redemption." The quest for atonement will be July 9-11 at Wisconsin's Lake DuBay. Wall and partner Ryan Habenicht, a 23-year-old sophomore, parlayed some of Habenicht's tips for fishing one of his home waters as a youth to capture sixth overall in last week's BASS College Western Regional tournament on Folsom Lake, California. Their three-day weight of 31 pounds, 7 ounces of a mix of largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass was less than 3 pounds off the winners and easily positioned them in the top 10 groups, all of which qualify for nationals. But this regional qualifier started more like shades of last year than a fresh start. As they motored to their first spot to fish April 29, the lower unit on Habenicht's outboard seized up and the pair had to fish their way back to the docks using only their trolling motor, Wall says. They weighed in an anemic 8 pounds, 14 ounces for their team-max total of five bass. They borrowed a boat from one of Habenicht's friends and returned the next day to hit a five-bass total of 11 pounds, 13 ounces. "We had all three species in the bag," Wall says. "That was pretty awesome." A solid final day Saturday of 10 pounds, 11 ounces punched their ticket to the cheesehead state. Their limits were culled from catches of 30 to 60 bass a day tossing a Japanese spin bait that wobbled slowly and effectively for the suspended bass that were keying in on shad, Wall says. Wall says he won't fly the red-eye into Wisconsin and stumble blindly into the national tournament this time. He plans to hook up his bass boat and drive to Wisconsin, tag-teaming the driving with his father, local auctioneer Steve Wall. The Walls plan to get there in time for at least three days of pre-fishing the lake. Lake DuBay is an impounded reservoir along the Wisconsin River, with a maximum surface area of more than 10 square miles but a maximum depth of just 30 feet. The lake is primarily a walleye haven, but it has plenty of smallmouth bass and a lesser contingent of largemouth bass, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Tournament rules don't allow Steve Wall to join Jacob on the practice rounds, so he'll have to go it alone. "I feel bad for my dad," Jacob Wall says. "He'll have to sit around the whole day." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman . By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted May. 8, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated May 13, 2015 at 11:22 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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