Dylan & Carter Nutt From 3rd Ranked University of North Alabama Take the Day 1 Lead at the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops

Avery & Kasen from Troy University are in 2nd, and Noah & Evan with Northwestern State sit in 3rd.

FLORENCE, AL (May 23, 2024) – Day 1 of tournament competition is complete at the 2024 Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops. 400 of the nation’s top collegiate anglers, who qualified to represent their schools at this event, took out onto Wilson and Pickwick Lakes in search of the best five bass limit they could catch.

At the conclusion of the weigh in, Dylan & Carter Nutt from 3rd ranked University of North Alabama have taken an early lead in the tournament after weighing in a massive five bass limit weighing 27.80 pounds.  Avery Padgett & Kasen Pemberton from Troy University are in 2nd with 24.29 pounds, and Noah Trant & Evan Howe with Northwestern State sit in 3rd with 21.45 pounds.

Click here to view the complete Day 1 standings.

The University of North Alabama has a long history of great finishes at the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops contested at Pickwick Lake in Florence, AL. At this event, UNA has won both the ACA National Championship and finished the year ranked number one in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia, and the UNA bass team is once again in position to pull off the win on this famous fishery.

Dylan & Carter Nutt put their own personal mark on the UNA legacy of success at Pickwick Lake by dropping a mega bag of 27.80 pounds on Day 1 of tournament competition. Included in that five bass limit is the current overall big bass for the tournament, a largemouth bass weighing 7.87 pounds. They will share just how they caught them tomorrow on camera as the ACA will have a camera team on the water covering this team from takeoff to weigh in.

Trailing behind 1st place by close to 2.50 pounds are Avery Padgett & Kasen Pemberton with Troy University.  The duo from the Alabama based school held the early lead for a long time, as they were one of the first to come to the scales at McFarland Park. Padgett & Pemberton had a quality limit comprised of a solid smallmouth bass, as well as a largemouth eclipsing the six pound mark.  The ACA will also have a camera in the boat with this team, who will fish a longer day tomorrow in an effort to catch the leaders.

Rounding out the Top 3 are Noah Trant & Evan Howe with Northwestern State University.  The team from Oklahoma sits in third with 21.45 pounds and they will also have a camera in the boat with them to start the day. 

The full field of teams found a great deal of success out on Pickwick and Wilson Lakes during Day 1 of tournament competition at the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops. A total of seven limits over twenty pounds were brought to the scales.

Teams reported catching fish in a variety of ways, and you can find coverage on the live blog as well as social media platforms of all the action from this week. Traditional offshore ledge fishing patterns were in play, including deep diving crank baits. Anglers utilizing forward facing sonar, like Garmin LiveScope, reported catching fish on soft plastic presentations. Other teams mentioned catching fish on topwater baits once the cloud cover pushed in later in the day.

The full field of anglers will compete again on Day 2 of the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops, with takeoff set for 6:00 AM at McFarland Park. Follow along with live blog coverage bright and early tomorrow morning, as well as tune in for live weigh-in beginning at 2:00 PM.  Following the conclusion of competition tomorrow, the ACA will award more than $30,000 in prizes and contingencies, including paying out the Top 40, numerous exact places, a Power-Pole to the overall big bass, and triple points to count towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.