Camden, Tennessee - 80 collegiate anglers representing 21 universities throughout the southeast met at Birdsong Resort in Camden, Tennessee on Saturday, May 16 to contest the Tennessee River Rumble on Kentucky Lake. This event was the final of 5 regional events sanctioned by the Association of Collegiate Anglers leading up to the 2009 BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship (CBFC) scheduled for May 25 - 29 at Lake Lewisville, Texas. Careco Multimedia's camera teams were on hand to capture the action. Coverage of the regional events and the CBFC will be featured on the collegiate bass fishing championship television series that will air on the Versus network Saturday mornings this fall.

 

The Tennessee River Valley received heavy rainfall prior to the event, causing Kentucky Lake to flood. Despite the high water conditions, these talented collegiate anglers managed to locate quality bass during the practice period.

 

20 teams hauled 5 bass limits to the scales and it took 17.45 pounds just to finish in the top 10. Adam Hock and Andy Southard of Western Kentucky University sacked 25.89 pounds to outdistance the nearest competitors by more than 6 pounds. Their impressive catch was anchored by an 8.02 pound largemouth bass that won big bass honors.

 

The humble anglers complemented each other and credited a true team effort for their success. Adam gave Andy credit for locating the bass infested area that produced the win and Andy commented that he enjoyed netting the big bass that Adam hauled in. Adam told the crowd at weigh-in, "We fished a 100 yard long stretch all day. It was a spawning bank loaded with big ones. Based on Andy's practice, we thought it would produce about 15 pounds, but we discovered there were more and bigger bass in the area than we realized." The team targeted spawning bass that they could not see due to the stained water color. A 5" tube in Roadkill color dipped in blue dye and Texas rigged with a pegged ¾ ounce tungsten weight proved to be more than the bass could resist. After catching a male bass, they'd remember the exact location and return later to catch the bigger female. The team also thanked their sponsors: Secret Lures, Yamaha, Skeeter, A2O Boating Supply, Airrus Rods, Shimano and Amzoil.

 

The team won free lodging for their club at the 2009 BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship. They also won a $375 Cabela's gift card for being the highest finishing Cabela's Collegiate Cup team. Pure Fishing awarded $500 in merchandise to the pair for winning the Berkley Big Bag award. Because Adam landed the big bass using an All Star rod, Pure Fishing gave the team 2 All Star rods. Finally, Adam's 8.02 pound big bass qualifies him for the opportunity to enjoy an all expenses paid trip to Lago Vista Lodge at Lake Guerrero, Mexico where he'll join 4 other collegiate anglers to fish with Jeff Kriet and Wade Middleton. The trip will be documented and featured on an episode of Americana Outdoors television show.

 

The second place team of Jimmy Reynolds and David Lambert representing the University of Tennessee - Knoxville held the lead with 19.71 pounds until the last team weighed. Jimmy and David demonstrated their versatility by utilizing a variety of techniques and lures. They caught bass on deep diving crankbaits that were positioned on points and ledges in depths ranging from 10 -20 feet. They also found fish relating to 4 - 8 foot deep buck brush located in the mouths of pockets located in creeks. Pure Poison Jigs as well as spinnerbaits were also used by the team to extract quality bass from the cover.

 

Zach Caudle & Joe Landry of Louisiana State University - Shreveport claimed third place with 19.68 pounds - only three hundredths of a pound less than the second place team.

 

They practiced both shallow and deep and settled on a specific pattern targeting bass positioned on the points of two islands located near main river ledges. The team caught the 5 bass that they weighed in by 10:00 a.m. on Laser Lure Deep Diver crankbaits in the Spicy Shad color. Zach reported "With the Power Pole maintaining our position, we were able to focus on retrieving our crankbaits properly. They had to be banging the bottom in order to trigger strikes".

 

Rounding out the top 5 teams was:

University of Tennessee - Knoxville (Nick Tate & Phillip Hopper) 18.53

Eastern Kentucky University (Richard Cobb & Lee Bishop) 18.11

 

Additional tournament results and stories about collegiate bass fishing can be found at www.CollegiateBassChampionship.com .

 

National Sponsors of BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship and Association of Collegiate Anglers events include: BoatU.S, Cabela's, BoatU.S. Angler, Ranger Boats, TruckVault, Costa Del Mar, Berkley, Aviva Fishin' Buddy, Activision, Sperry Top-Sider, Sebile Lures, frogg togggs, Columbia Sportswear, Yamaha, Plano, Garmin, Power Pole, All Star Rods, Abu Garcia, American Rodsmiths, Gemini Custom Apparel, Lago Vista Lodge, City of Lewisville, Sneaky Pete's, The Bass Federation and Dodge Trucks.