10 More Tickets Punched to 2027 Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops

SAN ANTONIO, TX (October 15, 2026) – The Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops, the Association of Collegiate Anglers’ National Championship, is college fishing’s longest-running National Championship tournament. The ACA contested its first National Championship at Lake Lewisville in Texas back in 2006. 2027 will mark the 22^ndconsecutive edition of this prestigious, no-entry-fee, nationally televised and streamed event.

Throughout the season, anglers can earn automatic qualification into the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops via top finishes at each of the ACA’s three regular-season tournaments. This past weekend, the ACA contested its second major tournament for the 2026-27 season on the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. Over 300 of the top college fishing teams in the nation competed in the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open at Lake Dardanelle. Up for grabs were over $30,000 in prizes and contingencies, double points towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year, as well as 10 automatic qualifications into the ACA National Championship.

Here are the teams that earned an automatic qualification for their Top 10 finish:

• Faulkner University – Grant McCraney & Parker McKee
• University of West Alabama – Dylan Sorrells & Mason Carden
• Texas A & M University – Tyler Gentry & Brice Hudler
• University of Montevallo – Brady McCormick & Easton Morris
• Carson-Newman University – Easton Drennon & Chase McCarter
• Carson-Newman University – Jake Rowlands & Trey Marco
• University of West Alabama – Daylon Milam & Wyatt Wood
• University of West Alabama – Garrett Ring & Trace Antunes
• University of West Alabama – Storm Clark & Eli Colley
• Missouri State University – Dillon Robertshaw & Jake Mantovani

At the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open, five schools earned additional qualifications via this criteria. Two of those schools earned multiple qualification spots at Lake Dardanelle; UWA (4), Carson-Newman (2).

The event at Lake Dardanelle was the ACA’s second tournament of the current season. This means a total of 20 automatic qualification spots have been awarded via top finishes. Here is a look at schools that have earned their share of those qualifications:

University of West Alabama – 7 qualifications

Carson-Newman University – 4 qualifications

Troy University – 2 qualifications

Emmanuel University – 2 qualifications

Teams earning one additional qualification thus far:

Campbellsville University, Faulkner University, Texas A&M University, University of Montevallo, Missouri State University

The final ACA regular-season event for the 2026-27 campaign will be the CrushCity Hartwell Slam presented by 13 Fishing at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, SC on April 3-4, 2027. A total of 15 automatic qualification bids will be awarded at that tournament.

1. View ACA National Championship qualification criteria here.