| KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Cole Sands and Bailey Fain got ahead of today’s unfavorable weather conditions, sacked up a five-bass limit that weighed 13 pounds, 11 ounces and won the Carhartt Bassmaster College Classic presented by Bass Pro Shops on Watts Bar Lake.
| Cole Sands and Bailey Fain of Bryan College win the 2019 Carhartt Bassmaster College Classic presented by Bass Pro Shops out of Knoxville, Tenn., with 13 pounds, 11 ounces on Watts Bar Lake.
Photo by Laurie Tisdale/B.A.S.S.
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The event was held in conjunction with the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
A passing cold front left the typical “bluebird” day — high, bright skies and light wind — in its wake, so the winners were happy to secure a limit by about 9:30 a.m. After that, the day grew brighter and the bite became more difficult.
“We thought we’d upgrade the rest of the day,” said Sands, a senior business management major. “We upgraded three times, but they were little upgrades.”
Targeting main-channel banks, the Bryan College anglers caught most of their bass on a Rapala DT6 crankbait and a Strike King KVD 1.5 squarebill, both in crawfish colors. Fain added the duo’s biggest bass on a YUM Yumbrella Flash Mob Jr. umbrella rig with Zoom swimbaits.
“Bailey threw the [umbrella rig] because it catches big fish, and I kept a DT6 in my hand all day because I caught some good fish on it in practice,” Sands said. “It seemed that when I did get a bite it was a decent fish.”
The winning performance bested the second-place Tusculum College team of Grant Cordell and Caleb Lafleur by a margin of 2-5. Essential to the win was the right shoreline composition.
“There was a certain type of rock we were looking for and when you saw it, you’d think you were going to get bit,” Sands said. “It seemed like there was a little current deal too, but our main strategy was just covering water.”
Fain, a sophomore also majoring in business management, said channel-swing banks proved most productive. Most of their bites were shallow, but proximity to deep water was clearly attractive.
Also important to the winning performance was the right tackle. Sands, who did most of the cranking, used a 7-10 medium Witch Doctor Kahuna cranking rod, which provided the right flex.
“When you’re cranking, you lose a pretty good amount of fish, but we landed every single fish that bit today,” he said. “It’s a glass rod that lets them load up. That makes a difference.”
The tournament was comprised of nine teams, five of which were Tennessee programs currently active within the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series. Also included were the defending 2018 National Championship team, the defending 2018 Carhartt Bassmaster College Classic winning team, the reigning Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year and the Classic Bracket Championship school.
2019 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Title Sponsor: Carhartt
2019 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Presenting Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2019 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2019 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Premier Sponsors: Abu Garcia, Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Skeeter Boats, Talon, Yamaha
2019 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Supporting Sponsors: Lowrance, Mossy Oak Fishing, TNT Fireworks
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport. With more than 510,000 members internationally, B.A.S.S. is not only home to the nation’s premier fishing tournament trails, but it also boasts the most expansive and comprehensive media network in the fishing industry. Its media include The Bassmasters on the ESPN networks, more than 130 hours of tournament programming on the Pursuit Channel, 250 hours of on-the-water streaming coverage on Bassmaster LIVE and 1 million monthly visitors to the flagship website on bass fishing – Bassmaster.com. B.A.S.S. also provides more than 4.4 million readers with the best in bass fishing coverage through Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times, and its radio and social media programs and events reach hundreds of thousands each month.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, culminating in the ultimate event on the biggest stage for competitive anglers, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. The trail also includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, BassPro.com Bassmaster Open Series, B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series, and the Bassmaster Team Championship. |
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