2021 AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open – Day 2

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The AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open is the first Association of Collegiate Anglers event of the 2021-22 season of the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. Over 400 of the nation’s top collegiate anglers and teams are in Russellville, AR to compete in this two-day event. At the end of competition today, results will be finalized with the top teams being awarded over $20,000 in prizes and contingencies, as well as qualifying schools will earn double points towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.

Robert Gee & Luke Byerly from 17th ranked University of Tennessee enter the final day in 1st place with a more than 1.5 pound lead over second place. The main storyline on this final day of tournament competition will center around Gee & Byerly. The duo is locking down to fish the Arkansas River below Lake Dardanelle. Early in the morning, anglers are notified that heavy barge traffic will shorten the amount of fishing time considerably for the teams that lock. Can Gee & Byerly fill out a tournament winning limit in the two and a half hour time window they will be provided?

During the final segment in the show we provide comprehensive coverage of final day weigh-in for the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open. Tune in to see how it all plays out!

2021 AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open – Day 1

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On this episode of the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, we bring you Day 1 coverage of the 2021 AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open. Taking place on Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, AR, this event is the first stop of the season on the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. Over 400 of the nation’s top collegiate anglers will be competing for two days to win their share of over $20,000 in prizes and contingencies, as well as double points in the race for Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.

The title sponsor of this tournament is AFTCO. AFTCO is dedicated to conservation and preserving resources for future generations. In partnering with the ACA, AFTCO passes these values and practices on to the younger anglers through programs like the Bass Bus Live Release Boat and Bank Bag program. Learn more about these initiatives from AFTCO in this show!

This episode will showcase on the water action and weigh-in coverage from Day 1 of the 2021 AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open. Anglers are finding great success fishing shallow cover across this Arkansas River fishery using a wide variety of baits ranging from topwater frogs to soft plastics. Tune in to find out who can take the Day 1 lead amongst this field of over 400 elite college anglers.

2021 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops – Day 2

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On this episode of the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, we bring you Day 2 coverage of the 2021 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at Lake Murray in South Carolina. In this episode, we will crown a new National Champion and award the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia!

Day 1 of competition on Lake Murray proved that there are some great limits of fish to be caught right now. Corey Yaden & Blake Stephenson from Brewton-Parker College hold the lead entering Championship Day following a Day 1 weight of 17.64 pounds. Less than three pounds separate fourth through seventh, leaving the door open for someone to jump up from back in the standings and win this event!

Today also marks the final day of competition in the race to win the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. The University of Montevallo has led for over six months and leads second ranked McKendree University by more than 1,000 points. Can McKendree put together a great final day at Lake Murray and claim the school’s third-straight Bass Pro Shops school of the Year presented by Abu Garcia? Watch this latest episode to find out how everything will play out!

2021 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops – Day 1

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On this episode of the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, we bring you Day 1 coverage of the 2021 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at Lake Murray in South Carolina.

The anticipation has been building during the entire Championship Week, and now it’s time to begin tournament competition. Over 300 of the nation’s most elite college anglers will leave out from Dreher Island State Park on the shores of Lake Murray to begin their quest to win a National Championship. Along with that prestigious title, the Association of Collegiate Anglers will be paying out over $20,000 in prizes & contingencies, as well as crowning the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.

Lake Murray offers a very diverse playing field for these anglers to go out and break down over the next two days of tournament competition. The main lake section offers clear, deep water. In this area, anglers can key on docks, baitfish, and offshore brush piles while using a mixture of topwaters and finesse style baits. Up the river, some anglers will feel more at home fishing their strengths in search of the five right bites. Shallow cover and vegetation provide a target rich environment to flip soft plastics or fish topwater frogs for shallow largemouths.

Day 1 of the 2021 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops is setting up to be an exciting ride! Tune in as this elite field takes to the water to catch plenty of fish!

Intro to 2021 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops

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On this episode of the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, we begin our coverage of the 2021 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at Lake Murray in South Carolina.

The BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops is the longest-running college fishing National Championship event in the sport. First hosted at Lake Lewisville in Texas 16 years ago, the ACA Championship and Championship week continue to be the most prestigious week in college fishing. This week’s event will pay out over $20,000 in prizes & contingencies, crown a new National Champion, as well as award the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.

Championship week begins this year with tournament registration and an angler appreciation event at Dreher Island State Park on the shores of Lake Murray. Representatives from the top brands in the industry are on hand to greet anglers, talk fishing, and hand out free goodies to the competitors. This list of companies includes Yamaha, Garmin, Berkley & Abu Garcia, BoatUS, Bob’s Machine Shop, Sunline, AFTCO, Denali, Big Bite Baits, and more. While at Dreher Island State Park, anglers receive a free meal, can participate in a variety of contests, and much more.

Tune in to this episode of the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series as Championship week begins, and we take a look back at the 2020-21 season leading up to this year-end event.

2021 Pickwick Slam – Day 2

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On this episode of the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, we provide coverage from Day 2 of the 2021 Pickwick Slam at Pickwick Lake in Florence, AL.

Pickwick Lake showed out on Day 1 of tournament competition! Numerous bags over the 20 pound mark crossed the stage, and anglers caught fish all across this Tennessee River fishery. However, one particular section of the lake proved to be the most dominant. Each of the Top 3 teams all caught their fish at the Wilson Dam tailrace on Saturday.

Each of the Top 3 teams all plan on returning to the tailrace on Day 2. More teams from the 300 plus angler field will try their luck up at the tailrace on the final day of tournament competition. Will the increased traffic, pressure, and changing weather conditions affect the bite? Watch coverage from Day 2 of the 2021 Pickwick Slam to find out!

At the end of this episode, we bring you complete coverage from Day 2 weigh-in at McFarland Park. Up for grabs at weigh-in are $30,000 plus in prizes and contingencies, as well as double points to count towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.

2021 Pickwick Slam – Day 1

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On this episode of the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, we provide coverage from Day 1 of the 2021 Pickwick Slam at Pickwick Lake in Florence, AL.

The 2021 Pickwick Slam marks the first Association of Collegiate Anglers event contested at Pickwick Lake during the springtime in almost 10 years. Contested April 10-11, 2021, the Pickwick Slam is the final ACA regular-season event before the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops in May. This week, anglers are competing for over $30,000 in prizes and contingencies, double points towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia, and five automatic qualifying spots into the 2021 Championship.

Day 1 of the Pickwick Slam begins with a brief weather delay as storms moved through the area early on that Saturday morning. Once the anglers made it out onto Pickwick Lake, they were greeted with phenomenal fishing conditions. Bass all across this Tennessee River fishery are pushed up shallow both to feed and spawn. This makes them very susceptible to biting, and this full field of elite college anglers is ready to capitalize!

The tailrace below the Wilson Dam quickly becomes the focal point on Day 1. Recent rains have added plenty of new water into the Tennessee River, and water is flowing through the gates of the dam at a steady rate. The smallmouth bass that populate Pickwick Lake love these conditions. They will move up and down throughout the day, feeding on shad and baitfish at a feverish rate. Numerous smallmouth in the four to six-pound class will be caught in this area on Day 1, anchoring several bags eclipsing the 20-pound mark.

Tune in to watch Day 1 coverage of the 2021 Pickwick Slam!

2021 Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley – Day 2

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On this episode of the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, we provide coverage from Day 2 of the 2021 Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley on Kentucky Lake in Henry County and Paris, TN.

Day 2 is the final day of tournament competition, as anglers compete for over $40,000 in prizes & contingencies and double points towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. Today will consist of three weigh-in sessions. Sessions 1 and 2 will pay out the Top 10 largest fish. Session 3 will award prizes to the 20 largest fish in that two hour period. At the end of competition, the final overall standings will be calculated and remaining prizes awarded. The Top 5 in this event will automatically qualify to compete in the 2021 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.

Camera crews begin the day with the 1st and 2nd place anglers following Day 1 of competition on Kentucky Lake. Anglers showed up to the boat ramp on Day 2 to dryer, and slightly warmer weather conditions. Each of these two boats of anglers are confident that they can capitalize on a strong morning bite in this scenario.

Here is a look at the session for Day 2:

Launch-9:30 AM Session 1 presented by Abu Garcia

9:30 AM-11:30 AM Session 2 presented by Tactacam

11:30 AM-1:30 PM Session 3 presented by Berkley

Tune in to watch final day coverage from the 2021 Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley at Kentucky Lake!

2021 Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley – Day 1 Part 2

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On this episode of the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, we provide continued coverage from Day 1 of the 2021 Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley on Kentucky Lake in Henry County and Paris, TN.

On the previous episode, we took a look at the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia, introduced the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley, and covered Day 1 Session 1 weigh-in presented by Engel Coolers. Day 1 action at Kentucky Lake is picking up as anglers begin to form a pattern out on this Tennessee River fishery.

The next weigh-in session anglers can compete in is Session 2 presented by HydroWave. First place for this session will earn a HydroWave H2, $200 Bass Pro Shops gift card, and a T-H Marine prize package. Anglers will be looking to best 5.25 pounds to claim the overall tournament lead.

Paris, TN and Henry County have long been supporters of collegiate bass fishing. The Association of Collegiate Anglers has been bringing premier college fishing events to Kentucky Lake for upwards of 10 years now. The Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce has been key in this long-lasting partnership. From providing meals at weigh-in, to support in a variety of other ways, Paris, TN and Henry County works to create a great atmosphere for anglers from all across the country to come to town and have a great time fishing Kentucky Lake.

Session 3 presented by Bass Pro Shops offers one of the most lucrative payouts in the entire event. First place for this hour will win a $1,000 Bass Pro Shops gift card. The Top 10 during this session will all earn Bass Pro Shops gift card of varying values, as well as an array of other different items.

The final session of the day is presented by Garmin. The winner of this session will earn a Garmin Panoptix LiveScope system, with 2nd and 3rd also receiving valuable prizes from Garmin. Stay tuned all the way through this episode, as the biggest fish of the day will be brought to the scales during Session 4!

2021 Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley – Day 1 Part 1

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On this episode of the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, we provide coverage of the 2021 Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley on Kentucky Lake in Henry County and Paris, TN.

The Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley is one of the most storied events in all of collegiate bass fishing. This two-day big bass format event consists of seven weigh-in sessions, paying out a total of 80 places with over $40,000 in prizes and contingencies. Also on the line are valuable double points to count towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. Schools will earn points for their two biggest fish inside of the Top 100 of the overall standings.

The University of Montevallo enters this event with a commanding lead in the School of the Year race. Over the course of the past eight months, the team from Alabama has earned over 11,000 total points. We had the opportunity to speak with several members of the team at Paris Landing State Park prior to Day 1 of tournament action. This brief feature highlights the accomplishments, expectations, and dedication of the University of Montevallo Bass Fishing Team as they continue the quest to win the school’s first ever School of the Year title.

In this episode, we will provide complete coverage from Day 1 Session 1 presented by Engel Coolers. First place in this session will earn a $300 Bass Pro Shops gift card and an Engel 50 cooler. Other prizes in this session include products from Tactacam, AFTCO, and BUFF®.

Tune in to watch Day 1 Part 1 coverage of the 2021 Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley!