Bass Fishing 2/23/2019 7:08:00 PM Jordan Alves

Bass fishing goes cold in opening Carhartt Bassmaster College Series tournament

CORNELIUS, NC — Starting the spring season on the lake is always a good feeling but Campbellsville University Bass Fishing struggled on Lake Norman this weekend.

CU had five boats in the field at the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series tournament presented by Bass Pro Shops. The region was beset by steady rain and temperatures that hovered in the 40s throughout the tournament. The less-than-ideal conditions were hard on anglers, but they didn't have a significant effect on the bass bite, especially for teams that were flexible.

The top CU boat was Grant Adams and Adam Carman finishing in 84^thplace with a total of 12-pounds 15-ounces. They were the only boat out of five total that made the trip to catch a limit each day.

Tanner Barnes and Ezra Oliver matched teammates Dalton Smith and Wil Rigdon had just one fish for one-pound 14-ounces on Day 1. Colby Hayes and Jordan Smallwood finished with just one catch as well – a one-pound 10-ounce bass.

Dakota Cantrell and Dustin Jones did not have a catch. Those four boats finished tied for 209^th, 218^th, and 228^th, respectively.

Will Nichols and Jamon Phillips of Jacksonville State University to vault from 10th place to the top of the standings in today's final round.

Nichols and Phillips weighed a limit of five bass that totaled 16 pounds, 2 ounces — the second heaviest of the three-day tournament. That gave them an overall three-day weight of 37-15 and put them into the hot seats with nine of the 12 duos fishing in the final round still waiting to weigh.

One by one, those teams crossed the stage, but all made quick exits. It was only after Day 2 leaders Jacob Moore and Gilliam Tharpe of North Carolina State presented a bag that contained only two bass that Nichols and Phillips broke into wide smiles and breathed heavy sighs of relief.

Even after they hoisted their tournament trophies into the air, Nichols and Phillips struggled to put their victory into perspective. It's not often, after all, that a team has only six keeper bites and manages to jump nine spots in the standings to clinch victory.

The JSU duo made up more than 5 pounds on Saturday after starting the day with a two-day total of 21-13. Their catch throughout the week consisted mostly of spotted bass, but the ones they caught Saturday averaged more than 3 pounds apiece, which helped them sneak from behind for the win.

The win for Jacksonville State, which is located in Jacksonville, Ala., was far from conventional. Nichols and Phillips caught only four bass during Thursday's opening round for a 6-8 total. That forced them to try new things Friday, and it paid off.

Nichols and Phillips won $2,500 for the Jacksonville State bass fishing team. The 12 tandems that made the Top 12 cut to fish on Championship Saturday split a total of $8,500 for their respective squads.

Jacob Louis and Nathan Doty of McKendree University in Tennessee finished second with 35-13, and Benjamin Hager and Noah Shaver of UNC-Charlotte placed third with 34-15.

Moore and Tharpe of NC State won the Carhartt Big Bass Award with a 6-13 largemouth they weighed on Thursday. The catch earned them a $500 Carhartt gift card. Seventh-place anglers Chandlar Ellis and Gil Seen of Lander University in South Carolina won a $250 Bass Pros Shops gift certificate for having a 16-1 bag on Day 1 that ranked as the heaviest bag of the tournament.

In all, 256 teams from around the United States entered. The Top 26 duos (10 percent of the field) earned berths in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops, which will be held later this year at a yet-to-be-disclosed fishery.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Grant Adams: Senior; Campbellsville, Ky.

Tanner Barnes: Sophomore; Campbellsville, Ky.

Dakota Cantrell: Senior; Decherd, Tenn.

Adam Carman: Senior; Berea, Ky.

Dustin Jones: Sophomore; Stanford, Ky.

Ezra Oliver: Sophomore; Campbellsville, Ky.

Dalton Smith: Sophomore; Taylorsville, Ky.

Jordan Smallwood: Freshman; Elizabethtown, Ky.

Wil Rigdon: Freshman; Shepherdsville, ky.

Players Mentioned

Grant Adams
: Senior; Campbellsville, Ky.

Tanner Barnes
: Sophomore; Campbellsville, Ky.

Dakota Cantrell
: Senior; Decherd, Tenn.

Adam Carman
: Senior; Berea, Ky.

Dustin Jones
: Sophomore; Stanford, Ky.

Ezra Oliver
: Sophomore; Campbellsville, Ky.

Dalton Smith
: Sophomore; Taylorsville, Ky.

Jordan Smallwood
: Freshman; Elizabethtown, Ky.

Wil Rigdon
: Freshman; Shepherdsville, ky.