Saturday, April 5 – 5:40 PM
Chandler Howell & Clayton Ellis from 17th ranked Blue Mountain Christian University win the Pickwick Slam with a total weight of 25.54 pounds. More information and a recap article will be shared later today.
Saturday, April 5 – 12:30 PM
The Association of Collegiate Anglers has continued to actively monitor weather, wind, and current conditions for the Pickwick Lake and Florence, AL area. Through gathering information with the National Weather Service and TVA, the ACA has made the decision to cancel Day 2 of tournament competition at the Pickwick Slam.
Storms are forecasted to impact the area tonight and continue into tomorrow, bringing with it significant rainfall, lightning, and gusting winds. Current from the Wilson Dam impacting Pickwick Lake, is also projected by the TVA to increase. The changing wind direction paired with the increasing current creates unsafe boating conditions.
The Pickwick Slam will now be a one day tournament, with the winners being crowned following the conclusion of weigh-in today.
In accordance with the Official Tournament Rules and information provided to anglers, lines out will be at 1:00 PM today with anglers being required to check-in at McFarland Park by 4:00 PM.
Saturday, April 5 – 1:30 PM
In an hour and a half, at 3:00 PM, the first flight will be due back in to McFarland Park. With that first flight returning, the live stream of weigh-in will begin at that time. Weigh-in can be streamed live via this link.
Saturday, April 5 – 11:40 AM
BeatDown Outdoors offers its Stic-Up Bow Mount, a game-changing solution for anglers who need an affordable, high-performance fish finder mount. Designed specifically for weekend fishermen and small boat owners, the Stic-Up Bow Mount offers exceptional flexibility, durability, and ease of use.
“We designed the Stic-Up Bow Mount to be the go-to solution for smaller boats and casual anglers who want a reliable, yet affordable, way to mount their fish finders,” said Blake Price, President of BeatDown Outdoors. “The flexibility in height and angle adjustments, combined with the sturdy anodized finish, makes it perfect for fishermen looking to optimize their setup and elevate their fishing experience.”
Find out more and read the full article here.
Saturday, April 5 – 11:20 AM
Soft plastics and trailers are important soft plastics for an angler this time of year. Whether flipping a creature bait or pairing a craw with a vibrating jig, soft plastics are great options for anglers to get bites.
Berkley recently expanded its tournament-proven PowerBait MaxScent lineup with the all-new Stank-Bug and Crud Craw. Berkley’s exclusive MaxScent formula adds the technology of scent release to soft plastic baits, expanding the strike zone and attracting more fish. Based on decades of scientific research, Berkley PowerBait MaxScent has been designed, tested in the lab, and proven on the water to deliver bites other baits won’t.
The Stank-Bug offers a compact profile with moderate action perfect for flipping and punching applications, while the Crud Craw presents a large profile with high action claws suitable for when anglers want a more aggressive presence amidst a variety of applications. Designed to become a staple in all anglers’ arsenal who demand performance and an edge against the competition.
Follow this link to read the full story.
Saturday, April 5 – 11:15 AM
Pictured here is Cason from Top 5 ranked Carson-Newman with a quality smallmouth bass!
Saturday, April 5 – 10:10 AM
One of our crews has caught up with Colby and Alex from Top 5 ranked Carson-Newman University. The pair has four fish in the livewell.
Saturday, April 5 – 9:50 AM
Garmin recently introduced its all-new Force Pro trolling motor, a brushless trolling motor engineered with extreme power and Garmin’s most precise GPS positioning technology. It gives anglers everything they love about Force, now with multi-band GPS for superior anchor lock performance and a built-in GT56UHD, Garmin’s latest and most powerful Ultra High-Definition scanning transducer. Force Pro also adds reverse thrust capability which adds another dimension of control, useful for anglers slowing the boat or backing up through tight quarters, like creeks or dock slips.
“Garmin Force has quickly become a trusted name in trolling motors for professional and recreational anglers all over the world. By adding premium features like our most advanced positioning technology with fishing-friendly enhancements like reverse thrust, we’re excited to offer anglers a trolling motor that’s second to none and continue to grow our presence in this market.”
–Susan Lyman, Garmin Vice President of Consumer Sales and Marketing
To read the full article, click here.
Saturday, April 5 – 9:40 AM
Bryce & Tripp now have a limit for approximately 19 pounds.
The other two ACA camera crews are moving to find new teams to cover. We will provide updates from those boats once we have something to share.
Saturday, April 5 – 9:20 AM
Ranger Boats is the presenting sponsor of today’s live blog. Anglers competing in the Pickwick Slam will be able to claim the Ranger Cup tournament contingency. To find out more about this program and get signed up, click here.
Saturday, April 5 – 8:40 AM
Bryce & Tripp from 3rd ranked UNA now have four fish for an estimated 15 pounds.
Saturday, April 5 – 8:15 AM
The full field of anglers is now out on Pickwick Lake for Day 1 of tournament competition at the Pickwick Slam. We’ve seen reports of some fish catches, with more info to be posted here soon!
Saturday, April 5 – 7:30 AM
Bryce & Tripp from 3rd ranked UNA have their first fish in the boat! This bass is estimated to weight around 4 pounds.
Saturday, April 5 – 7:10 AM
The third team our crews are following is Harmon & Maxwell from 2nd ranked McKendree University. The pair has some Rapala Crush City Freeloaders in the box, as well as a bag of items from Bass Pro Shops!
Saturday, April 5 – 6:55 AM
Another team we will be following to start the morning is Bryce & Tripp from 3rd ranked UNA. The duo won the last ACA event contested during this season, the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open.
Saturday, April 5 – 6:10 AM
One of the ACA camera crews will begin the day with Nick & Connor from top ranked University of Montevallo. Montevallo is the four-time defending title winner of the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. 24 of the Top 25 ranked teams are set to compete at Pickwick Lake this weekend. The final ACA major double points event before the year-end triple points Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops, the Pickwick Slam will be a key tournament in determining which schools finish the year inside of the coveted Top 25.
Saturday, April 5 – 4:30 AM
Good Saturday morning from Pickwick Lake in Florence, AL for Day 1 of the Pickwick Slam! This is the third stop of the 2024-25, historic 20th season for the Association of Collegiate Anglers on the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series.
270 plus teams are set to begin tournament competition this morning, with official takeoff happening from McFarland Park. Look for anglers to target a variety of areas across this diverse fishery to find success.
Stay tuned to today’s live blog presented by Ranger Boats to keep up with all the Day 1 tournament action here at Pickwick Lake.
