MONROE, La. (Oct. 5, 2020) – The East Texas Baptist University team of Grant Hendrix of Livingston, Texas, and Josh Manuel of Burleson, Texas, won the Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI at the Ouachita River event Friday with a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 4 ounces. The victory earned the duo $2,000 and qualified them to compete in the 2021 College Fishing National Championship.

The Tigers duo won by a 1½-pound margin over the second-place team of Luke O’Neal and Wesley Banks, from the University of Louisiana-Monroe, who weighed in five bass totaling 13 pounds, 12 ounces. The tournament launched from Forsythe Park in Monroe, Louisiana.

According to post-tournament reports, the duo caught their fish targeting brush piles and cypress trees with a white ChatterBait and a black and blue-colored V&M Flat Wild.

The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2021 College Fishing National Championship are:

1^st:       East Texas Baptist University – Grant Hendrix, Livingston, Texas, and Josh Manuel, Burleson. Texas, five bass, 15-4, $2,000

2^nd:       University of Louisiana-Monroe – Luke O’Neal and Wesley Banks, Calhoun, La., five bass, 13-12, $1,000

3^rd:       East Texas Baptist University – Kaden Proffitt, Pittsburg, Texas, and Cason Ragsdale, Winnsboro, Texas, five bass, 12-12, $500

4^th:       Stephen. F. Austin State University – Calan Cameron, Coppell, Texas, and Kellen Worley, Wylie, Texas, five bass, 12-9, $500

5^th:       Sam Houston State University – Jayce Garrison and Mason Hoke, both of Conroe, Texas, five bass, 12-4, $500

6^th:       University of Oklahoma – Carson Kirkhuff, Grapevine, Texas, and Brigg Bates, Aledo, Texas, five bass, 11-7

7^th:       Delta State University – Matthew Brooks, Clarksdale, Miss., and Jake White, Marks, Miss., five bass, 10-11

8^th:       Stephen F. Austin State University – J.D. Clarke, Chester, Texas, and Garrett Johnson, Burnet, Texas, five bass, 10-10

9^th:       Tarleton State University – Caden Cowan, Stephenville, Texas, and Trevor Easter, Morgan, Texas, five bass, 10-9

10^th:     University of Louisiana-Lafayette – Cole Bailey, Doyline, La., and Hayden Pinho, Patterson, La., five bass, 10-5

Complete results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.

The Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI event on the Ouachita River was the second of three regular-season qualifying tournaments for Southern Conference anglers. The next event for College Fishing anglers will be Nov. 13 – the Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI Sam Rayburn Reservoir Open in Brookeland, Texas.

Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI teams compete in regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual Abu Garcia College Fishing Open advance to the following year’s Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI National Championship.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.