The allure of bass fishing is so strong for Indiana University East student Nate Pardo that he heads to a lake most days to practice or take part in competitions.

IU East student Nate Pardo will compete at the Collegiate Championship on Lake Murray in South Carolina, May 26-27.

It’s so strong that he has been known to park his truck, trailer and boat on campus so that he can make a faster getaway to places where his casts could help land him big fish and possibly a big-paying career.

“It would be nice to make a name for myself and go pro,” admits the freshman who hopes to enter the nursing program at IU East. “I am going to have fun with it and go do it.”

You will find him going and doing it every day that he doesn’t attend classes — and the lakes aren’t frozen over. “I am always learning new things on the water,” he said.

He practices about four times a week, as well as taking part in tournaments and attending Zoom meetings with teammates in the IU Bass Fishing Club.

One object of his constant practice is to earn the attention of sponsors in the multibillion dollar sports-fishing business — and the graduate of Northeastern High School certainly has done that.

Pardo finished fourth out of 160 competing boats in the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash Tournament that was held March 13-15 on Kentucky Lake. The event was part of the Collegiate Bass Fishing Series.

His top catch, weighing in at a personal-best 5.25 pounds for a largemouth bass, led the tournament for three sessions. Most importantly, the high finish qualified him for the collegiate championship event that is coming up in May.

Nate Pardo of Richmond is part of the IU Bass Fishing Club. Pardo is a freshman at IU East and plans to major in nursing.

Pardo started bass fishing when he was about age 3. “My grandma (Jeanie Lewis of Richmond) used to take me when she’d baby-sit in the summer.”

He quickly grew to love the sport, which is far from the image of Andy Griffith and Opie leisurely fishing from a small rowboat.

Today, it’s a fast-paced industry promoted by the likes of Bass Pro Shops, Berkley tackles, Engel Coolers and Garmin and Hydro-Wave electronics.

Pardo’s boat has a Triton 150-horsepower motor that can get him quickly around large lakes and into small coves. “That’s a small motor,” he notes with a laugh. “It’s nothing to go 80 mph on the water now.”

He will choose a fellow club member for a two-person boat that will compete at the Collegiate Championship that is scheduled May 26-27 on Lake Murray in South Carolina.

The IU Bass Fishing Club is made up of 40 students who represent multiple campuses.

They are serious about fishing — and also serious about making sure the activity will be around forever. The club is “dedicated to the preservation and conservation of our land and water resources,” reports information found on its website. “The IU Bass Fishing Club was the first college fishing team, established in 1987, and has since grown to be nationally recognized (by major organizations).”

Pardo said club members usually practice on their own and pair up for club tournaments.

They participate in “about three Zoom meetings a month,” he said. “We usually hold club tournaments twice a month to fish together.”

As if classes, homework and bass fishing weren’t enough, Pardo is also working to open a food truck this summer that specializes in ribbon french fries (flat chips that are connected in spirals).

His parents, Don and Amy Pardo, are in the barbecue business.

Amy Pardo isn’t into fishing, but the activity has a special meaning to Don and Nate.

“We always make a trip on Father’s Day,” Pardo said. “That’s something we started a few years back … whatever lake he wants to go to, let’s go.”

As long as the lakes haven’t frozen over, Pardo will head out three to four times a week, often with high school buddies Austin Rhodus and Hunter Dixon.

“It’s easy to blend it together,” Pardo explains about school and fishing. “I am only at school Mondays and Wednesdays. I can fish every other day if my grades stay up.”

So far, so good, in that regard.

He thoroughly enjoys attending IU East: “I love it. It’s a great atmosphere.”

Pardo plans to earn his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the School of Nursing and Health Sciences and then keep furthering his graduate studies. “I kind of like the action in it and helping people in a time of need,” he said about his aspirations in nursing.

Eventually, he wants to become a nurse practitioner who specializes in acute care (emergency) or family medicine.

Of course, he’s willing to slow everything down to take bass fishing a step further.

His main emphasis this year is drawing the interest of sponsors. They are critical for professionals and collegiate clubs, too, because the universities don’t cover any costs.

The IU Bass Fishing Club’s sponsors include Trickstep, Seaguar, Mystery Tackle Box, Bass Boat Saver, GC Products, Blue Rock Custom Tackle, AFTCO, Secret Lures and United Real Estate.

It’s estimated that 40 million people fish in the United States, more than play tennis and golf combined. The favorite fishing target is the largemouth bass.

Pardo’s favorite is the smallmouth bass. He caught one weighing a personal-best 6 pounds in St. Clair, Michigan.

Ironically, nearby waterways don’t harbor too many lunkers. “We don’t have many big bass in Indiana,” Pardo said. “Brookville Lake is the closest. It has its moments.”

He said the Geist Reservoir in Fishers is a good place to catch bass.

The recent tournament catch was his largest for a largemouth bass.

Catch and release is mandatory in bass-fishing contests. That’s okay with Pardo: “I have personally never eaten a bass.”

He will catch and keep some crappie in the spring. He also likes to eat salmon and fish and chips. “That’s as far as I go with eating fish.”