Appalachian State University Moves Into First at College Eastern Regional

Jeremy Gilley (left) and Kelly Johnson of Appalachian State University weighed in a two-day total of 28 pounds, 15 ounces to take the Day 2 lead Friday in the 2015 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Eastern Regional presented by Bass Pro Shops held on Lake Norman out of Charlotte, N.C. Photo by Shaye Baker/Bassmaster

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Not rain, nor wind, nor cold could slow Appalachian State University’s Kelly Johnson and Jeremy Gilley who added the heaviest bag Friday weighing 15 pounds, 12 ounces to their Thursday weight of 13 pounds, 3 ounces to take the 2015 Carhartt College Eastern Regional presented by Bass Pro Shops lead by 6 ounces on Lake Norman.
 
Johnson and Gilley have two patterns to thank for their 28 pound, 15 ounce two-day total which has them currently sitting on top of the leaderboard.
 
“We’re on two different deals right now,” Johnson said. “We have a shallow pattern going and a deeper pattern also.”
 
Ever-changing conditions brought the air temperature down from the 80s to the 40s, all while introducing heavy rain and stiff winds to the area on Friday. As the front blows through, Saturday promises to be even colder, dropping to 25 degrees tomorrow night. Appalachian State will need both of their patterns in order to contend with the changing conditions and hold onto the lead.
 
“I think we should still be able to catch them doing what we’re doing,” Gilley said. “The weather slowed things down a little today from yesterday and might slow things down even more for tomorrow, but I think we’ll still be able to catch them pretty good.”
 
This is the first tournament with the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series for Johnson and Gilley who are graduate students at Appalachian State. Although Johnson had never fished the lake before pre-practice, Gilley has a lot of experience on Lake Norman and together the two have pooled their knowledge and a fresh set of eyes to the lake to put themselves in prime position headed into the final day.
 
For leading after Friday, Appalachian State’s Johnson and Gilley are awarded the Livingston Lures Leader Award, a $250 gift card.
 
Consistency puts Austin Neary and Alex Frazier of Western Carolina University in second place headed into the final day. With back-to-back performances in the 14-pound range, Neary is hoping to up the ante a bit tomorrow.
 
“We’ve had some bedding largemouth every day,” Neary said. “We have five or six beds with 6-pounders on them. We’ve caught some of the bucks off of them but haven’t been able to catch the females yet.”
 
The field was cut today to the Top 20 who will compete one more day on Lake Norman, vying for one of the Top 16 qualifying spots for the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship to be held later this year.
 
Cole Blythe’s 6-pound, 10-ounce Carhartt Big Bass from Thursday held strong and remains the big bass for the event so far.
 
UNC-Charlotte’s Cole Blythe and John Auten also hold onto the Bass Pro Nitro Big Bag for the event with their Thursday single-day weight of 16 pounds, 12 ounces.
 
Bass Pro Shops in Concord will host the Top 20 weigh-in tomorrow starting at 4:30 p.m. ET. You can follow all of Saturday’s action or catch up on what you’ve missed by visiting Bassmaster.com.

2015 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Title Sponsor: Carhartt

 
2015 Bass Bassmaster College Series Presenting Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
 
2015 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Berkley, GoPro, Humminbird, Mercury, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha
 
2015 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Supporting Partners: A.R.E. Accessories, Costa, Dick Cepek Tires, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Power-Pole, Rigid Industries, Shimano
 
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
 
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series presented by Allstate, Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation events, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.