August 10, 2017

BEMIDJI, Minn. — The first day of the 2017 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops on Lake Bemidji started under gloomy conditions as storms pushed through the region, but it didn’t seem to hurt the fishing.

Jake Lee and Jacob Foutz of Bryan College lead after Thursday’s action with 16 pounds, 6 ounces. Their field-topping weight consisted of only four fish, one short of their five-bass limit.

Storylines for the event consisted of tough and crowded fishing, but Thursday shined light on the quality bass that live in the Minnesota fishery. While 21 teams brought limits to the scales, several other teams stayed in contention by bringing three or four quality fish to the Bassmaster stage.

As for the crowded fishing on Lake Bemidji, Lee and Foutz were able to find an area all to themselves, and it paid dividends for the first round of this three-day event.

“The caliber of fish in our area is just unreal,” Lee said. “There actually aren’t many boats around us. If we can get five more bites, they will be like the fish we weighed in today.”

Their impressive first-place weight wasn’t anchored by a giant largemouth, as one might expect, but rather by four good-sized bass. And those didn’t come as easy as it may seem because of the weather change. Stabilizing weather may help the duo, according to Foutz.

“The winds really blew out our areas and made it harder, but we should be able to duplicate the quality if it settles down some,” Foutz said.

“The bites were about as slow as anything I’ve experienced in my life,” Lee said. “Today was slow and painful, but it worked out.”

Bryan College carries a 10-ounce lead going into Friday’s competition day over their nearest pursuer, which happens to be one of the local Bemidji State University teams.

Brothers Thor and Mitch Swanson took the lead early in the weigh-in and held it right until the end, when Lee and Foutz dethroned them. The Swansons are in good position and well within contention to make the final day cut, as long as they can survive Day 2.

With numerous teams in their area, they aren’t sure they can match their first-day weight of 15-12 again, but the good start is extremely crucial to staying within the projected cut line after Friday’s weigh-in.

“We went out today just hoping not to lose this event on Day 1,” Thor said.

“Any fish tomorrow will be key if we want to stay in the hunt. During the middle of the day we were thankful not to be scratching around still with just one or two fish; having a limit was huge,” Mitch said.

Logan Laprarie and Aaron Belgard of Northwestern State University brought the big bass on Day 1 to the scales, and it topped out at 6-6.

Friday’s take off will happen at Paul Bunyan Park at 6 a.m. CT, and weigh-ins will begin at 2:30 at the same location.

The event is hosted by Bemidji State University and Visit Bemidji.

2017 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Title Sponsor: Carhartt

2017 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Presenting Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops

2017 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2017 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Premier Sponsors: Shell Rotella, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Huk, Skeeter Boats, Humminbird, Mercury

2017 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Supporting Sponsors: ABU Garcia, Advance Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Livingston Lures, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Lowrance, Costa, Shimano, St. Croix Rods

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Magellan Outdoors, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

-30-

Media Contact: JamieDay Matthews, 205-313-0945, [email protected] or Dave Precht, 205-313-0931, [email protected]

8/10/2017 – 8/12/2017

Lake Bemidji – Paul Bunyan Park – Bemidji, MN

STANDINGS BOATER DAY 1

Name # Fish # Live Lbs – Oz # Fish # Live Lbs – Oz

1 Jacob Foutz – Jake Lee Bryan College 4 4 16- 6 4 4 16- 6

2 Thor Swanson – Mitch Swanson Bemidji State University 5 5 15-12 5 5 15-12

3 Cole Floyd – Carter McNeil Bethel University 5 5 14-12 5 5 14-12

4 Brian Pahl – John Garrett Bethel University 5 5 14-11 5 5 14-11

5 Brody McWilliams – Tristan Gold Indiana University 5 5 14- 8 5 5 14- 8

6 Tyler Firebaugh – Chad Sweitzer Chico State 5 5 14- 1 5 5 14- 1

7 TJ Tucker – Bennett Pierce Arkansas Tech University 5 5 13-14 5 5 13-14

8 Austin Carr – Justin Carr Heartland Community College 5 5 13- 6 5 5 13- 6

9 Sam Carris – John Berry Tennessee Tech University 5 5 12-13 5 5 12-13

10 Anderson Aldag – Lee Mattox University of Alabama 3 3 12-10 3 3 12-10

11 Daniel Kennedy – Cody Stahl SCAD 3 3 12- 8 3 3 12- 8

12 Garrett Enders – Cody Huff Bethel University 5 5 12- 6 5 5 12- 6

13 John Duarte – Chesley Alford Coastal Carolina University 5 5 12- 4 5 5 12- 4

14 Lawrence Kuznik – Dakota Moore University of Louisiana at LaFayette 3 3 12- 3 3 3 12- 3

15 Rick Couch Jr – John Kaufman U. of Central Florida 5 5 12- 1 5 5 12- 1

16 Tyler Rivet – Cameron Naquin Nicholls State University 4 4 11-10 4 4 11-10

17 Tyler Craig – Spencer Lambert University of Louisiana at Monroe 5 5 11- 5 5 5 11- 5

18 Josh Worth – Colorado Mesa University 4 3 11- 3 4 3 11- 3

19 J T Russell – Chase Grubbs University of Montevallo 4 4 11- 1 4 4 11- 1

20 Chase Chastain – Andrew Fisher Jacksonville State University 3 3 10-12 3 3 10-12

21 Jake Dorony – Hunter Scharphorn Lake Superior State University 4 4 10-10 4 4 10-10

22 Hunter McCarty – Sloan Pennington U. of North Alabama 5 5 10- 8 5 5 10- 8

23 Collin Cropp – Louie Dazzo U. of Wisconsin Whitewater 4 4 10- 7 4 4 10- 7

24 Tanner Ward – Kent State 5 5 10- 5 5 5 10- 5

25 Justin St Onge – Ryan McLaughlin Haywood Community College 5 5 9-12 5 5 9-12

26 Stetson Overton – Cason Kelley Tarleton State University 5 5 9-11 5 5 9-11

27 Hunter Ward – Stewart Ward Central Alabama Comm College 4 4 9- 6 4 4 9- 6

28 Noah Pescitelli – Sean Hall SCAD 5 5 9- 5 5 5 9- 5

29 Austin Handley – Caleb Wozniak Auburn University 5 5 9- 4 5 5 9- 4

30 Ben Stone – Collin Smith Lander University 4 4 9- 4 4 4 9- 4

31 Nick Ratliff – Luke Patterson Campbellsville University 5 5 8-10 5 5 8-10

32 Cole Sands – Nathan Bell Bryan College 4 4 7-15 4 4 7-15

33 Matt Brown – DJ Barber Bryan College 2 2 7-15 2 2 7-15

34 Austin Mize – Parker Davis U. of North Alabama 3 3 7-11 3 3 7-11

35 Patrick Walters – Tyler All University of South Carolina 5 5 7-10 5 5 7-10

36 JP Kimbrough – Jared Rascoe LSU Shreveport 3 3 7- 9 3 3 7- 9

37 Dawson Cranford – Charles Norris University of Louisiana at LaFayette 3 3 7- 7 3 3 7- 7

38 John Moore – Clark Mannas Texas A&M University 4 4 7- 2 4 4 7- 2

39 Trent Newman – Zackery Hines Dallas Baptist University 5 5 6-14 5 5 6-14

40 Jesse Erb – Gavin Oswalt University of Pittsburgh 3 2 6-10 3 2 6-10

41 Luke Parlow – Brad Burton Missouri State University 4 4 6- 8 4 4 6- 8

42 Jacob Harris – Tyler Smith Southeast Missouri State University 2 2 6- 7 2 2 6- 7

43 Ryan Winchester – Tyler Black Bethel University 2 2 6- 6 2 2 6- 6

44 Aaron Belgard – Logan Laprarie Northwestern State University 1 1 6- 6 1 1 6- 6

45 Jonathan Kelley – Max McQuaide Coastal Carolina University 3 3 6- 2 3 3 6- 2

46 Justin Seeton – Dakota Ebare Tarleton State University 4 4 6- 1 4 4 6- 1

47 Luke Gillund – Robby Troje Bemidji State University 3 3 6- 1 3 3 6- 1

48 Nicholas Moore – Sean Solomon Southeast Missouri State University 2 2 6- 1 2 2 6- 1

49 Jacob Wall – University of Oregon 3 3 6- 0 3 3 6- 0

50 Brandon Black – Chase Christie University of West Georgia 1 1 5-14 1 1 5-14

51 Michael Rollert – Corbin Davis Texas A&M University 2 2 5-13 2 2 5-13

52 Brandon Bland – Spencer DeFoor U. of South Alabama 2 2 5-10 2 2 5-10

53 Nolan Minor – Casey Lanier West Virginia University 3 3 5- 6 3 3 5- 6

54 Sheldon Rogge – Travis Blenn Kansas State University 3 3 5- 2 3 3 5- 2

55 John Jay – Grant Pietsch Texas A&M University 3 3 5- 1 3 3 5- 1

56 Zane Loveday – Denver Satterlee Calhoun Community College 2 2 4-15 2 2 4-15

57 Brandon Simoneaux – Colby Ogden Lamar University 2 2 4-13 2 2 4-13

58 Matthew Bowden – Barton Courtney Texas Tech University 1 1 4- 6 1 1 4- 6

59 Lance Freeman – Cameron Brooks Murray State University 1 1 4- 4 1 1 4- 4

60 Evan Owrey – KJ Queen Bethel University 2 2 4- 2 2 2 4- 2

61 Keegan Russell – Lake Superior State University 2 2 4- 0 2 2 4- 0

62 Michael Fisher – Brandon Padilla Jacksonville State University 1 1 3-13 1 1 3-13

63 Dylan Kear – Dalton Price Bryan College 1 1 3-12 1 1 3-12

64 Dillon Harrell – Dustin Moreno Sam Houston State University 1 1 3-10 1 1 3-10

65 Chandler Robertson – Austin Culbertson University of Missouri 1 1 3- 7 1 1 3- 7

66 Crosley Welch – Matt Fielder Missouri State University 2 2 3- 4 2 2 3- 4

67 Brady Bowden – Tyler Pennington Faulkner University 1 1 3- 1 1 1 3- 1

68 Jacob Louis – JT Russell McKendree University 1 1 3- 0 1 1 3- 0

68 Corey Neece – Nick Hatfield Tusculum College 1 1 3- 0 1 1 3- 0

70 Benjamin Hager – Noah Shaver UNC Charlotte 2 2 2-15 2 2 2-15

71 Gregory Green – Dustin Nash Northwestern State University 1 1 2-14 1 1 2-14

72 Austin Butler – Will Gentry Murray State University 1 1 2-11 1 1 2-11

72 Tristan Thomas – Ty Johnston U. of North Georgia 1 1 2-11 1 1 2-11

74 Paul Davis – Shane Parker Missouri State University 1 1 2-10 1 1 2-10

75 Dalton Childers – Auburn University 1 1 2- 7 1 1 2- 7

76 Hunter Freeman – Thomas Soileau University of Louisiana at Monroe 2 2 2- 5 2 2 2- 5

77 Travis McGuire – Layne Bynum Texas Tech University 1 1 2- 4 1 1 2- 4

78 Zachary Ramsey – Joshua Rockefeller Augusta University 1 1 1-11 1 1 1-11

79 Reed Foster – Colt Benedict Dallas Baptist University 1 1 1- 8 1 1 1- 8

80 Justin Guarnaccio – Michael Tesch University of Wisconsin Stout 1 1 1- 1 1 1 1- 1

81 Gavyn Bridges – Dylan Anderson UT Chattanooga 0 0 0- 0 0 0 0- 0

81 Joshua Butts – Reid Conner Wallace State Hanceville 0 0 0- 0 0 0 0- 0

81 Connor Chapman – Jaron Deal Kennesaw State University 0 0 0- 0 0 0 0- 0

81 Max Gresham – Zack Blake Valdosta State University 0 0 0- 0 0 0 0- 0

81 Hunter Louden – Cully Scroggins Bethel University 0 0 0- 0 0 0 0- 0

81 Hunter Mills – Hunter McKinley Murray State University 0 0 0- 0 0 0 0- 0

81 Baylor Ronemus – Cole Tinsley Clemson University 0 0 0- 0 0 0 0- 0

81 Andrew Warbington – Brant Lewis University of West Alabama 0 0 0- 0 0 0 0- 0

81 Brock Wilke – Brady Faust McKendree University 0 0 0- 0 0 0 0- 0

BIG BASS

Day Name City,State Lbs-Oz

1 Aaron Belgard – Logan Laprarie Deville, LA 6- 6