West Virginia Team’s Huge Catch Takes Lead In Bassmaster College Tour At St. Lawrence River

Nolan Minor and Casey Lanier of West Virginia University take the lead on Day 1 of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at St. Lawrence River presented by Bass Pro Shops out of Waddington, N.Y., with a total of 26 pounds, 6 ounces.

Photo by Justin Brouillard/B.A.S.S.

WADDINGTON, N.Y. — West Virginia University’s Nolan Minor and Casey Lanier outfished nearly 300 other college anglers today in what was a slugfest day of fishing at the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at St. Lawrence River presented by Bass Pro Shops.

The 149-boat field produced a total weight of 3,031 pounds, 3 ounces to begin this tournament in upstate New York. All but three of the teams caught limits of five bass and of that number, 85 teams weighed more than 20 pounds on Day 1.

The tremendous catches came courtesy of ideal conditions on the St. Lawrence River, including water temperatures right at 60 degrees, a fishing season that began only five days ago and local bass in the throes of a full spawn.

Minor and Lanier took advantage of the bounty. The West Virginia duo caught five smallmouth bass on Wednesday that weighed 26-6 — a one-day total that normally would blow most competitors out of the water, but was good for only a 9-ounce cushion on the bountiful St. Lawrence River.

The Mountaineer duo had a limit within an hour of launching from Whittaker Park on Wednesday and culled four or five times later in the morning. Among their early catches was a 6-2 smallmouth Minor got off a bed. It was a personal best for him and the highlight of a day that saw the leaders scouting new water by 10 a.m.

Minor and Lanier are no strangers to success. They finished fourth in last year’s Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year standings and they were in third place in the race entering this event — the fourth and final regular-season stop for college anglers of 2019.

While a win here would be a thrill, Minor and Lanier previously secured a spot in August’s Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops on Tennessee’s Chickamauga Lake.

“There was no pressure on us today,” Minor said. “This is a great place to fish and just have fun. We’ve already qualified for Nationals, and, although we’re in third place in the Team of the Year points, we’re pretty far behind the top two teams. We weren’t worried about finishing in a certain place in the standings here. We just wanted to catch big ones.”

The St. Lawrence River was a perfect stage for doing that. The question now is whether Minor and Lanier can replicate today’s success on Thursday?

“Nothing we came across after 10 o’clock was as big as the 6-2 that Nolan caught today, but we saw some really great fish out there. We can get 20 or 21 pounds Thursday and maybe cull up to 23 or 24. But anything more than that is going to be tough.”

With a target to shoot at, the rest of the 149-boat field will do its best to pressure the leaders the next two days.

Jackson Carrell and Bryton Kurtz of Sam Houston State University in Texas are in second place after catching a limit of smallmouth bass weighing 25-13. While limits of largemouth weighing in the 25-pound range are not uncommon on Texas fisheries, the team didn’t expect anything like the smallmouth bite they encountered on the St. Lawrence.

“To catch a 25-pound bag of only smallmouth just blows my mind,” Kurtz said. “It’s one of the best places I’ve ever been.”

Carrell stopped short of saying that catching bass was easy on Wednesday, but he admitted the Sam Houston State team didn’t have to work hard to figure out the bite.

“We had one rod on deck the whole day and had the trolling motor high, running banks just like everyone else,” he said. “The water is so clean, you can see the fish at depths anywhere from 4 to 15 feet.”

Perry Marvin and Cantley Krafft of Virginia Tech University are third with 25-10. Brian Linder and Nathan Thompson of Bemidji (Minn.) State University are fourth with 25-9, and Logan Parks and Lucas Lindsay of Auburn (Ala.) University are fifth with 25-5.

The college event on the St. Lawrence follows similar derbies held earlier this year on North Carolina’s Lake Norman in February, Alabama’s Smith Lake in March and Arkansas’ Bull Shoals Lake in April.

The Top 10 percent of teams from each of those tournaments, as well as the ongoing event at the St. Lawrence, qualify for the national tournament on Chickamauga on Aug. 1-3. Duos can also qualify for the championship through their individual state tournaments or by finishing in the Top 25 of the Team of the Year standings.

Parks and Lindsay boated a monster 6-7 smallmouth that leads competition for the Carhartt Big Bass Award, which earns winners a $500 gift certificate. Minor and Lanier are in the lead for the Nitro Big Bag Award and the $250 gift certificate that will accompany it.

The full field of 149 teams will take off from Whittaker Park Thursday at 5:30 a.m. ET with weigh-in scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The Top 12 duos will fish on Friday for cash and prizes.

Follow all the action on Bassmaster.com.

(BOATER) Standings Day 1
St. Lawrence River, Waddington  NY.
2019 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at St. Lawrence River presented by Bass Pro Shops 6/19-6/21

    Angler                                       Club/School                       Pts

1.  Nolan Minor – Casey Lanier                   West Virginia University- WV      500
Day 1: 5   26-06   Total:   5  26-06
2.  Jackson Carrell – Bryton Kurtz               Sam Houston State University    96.64
Day 1: 5   25-13   Total:   5  25-13
3.  Perry Marvin – Cantley Krafft                Virginia Tech University        93.29
Day 1: 5   25-10   Total:   5  25-10
4.  Brian Linder – Nathan Thompson               Bemidji State University        89.93
Day 1: 5   25-09   Total:   5  25-09
5.  Logan Parks – Lucas Lindsay                  Auburn University               86.58
Day 1: 5   25-05   Total:   5  25-05
6.  Matthew Davis – Jarrod Layton                Adrian College                  83.22
Day 1: 5   24-15   Total:   5  24-15
7.  Ben Seaman – Dante Piraino                   Clarkson University             79.87
Day 1: 5   24-14   Total:   5  24-14
8.  Tyler Lubbat – Calvin Landsberg              University of Alabama           76.51
Day 1: 5   24-13   Total:   5  24-13
9.  Nick Ratliff – Bradley Dunagan               Campbellsville University       73.15
Day 1: 5   24-12   Total:   5  24-12
10. Ty Cox – Chandler Boman                      Blue Mountain College           469.8
Day 1: 5   24-11   Total:   5  24-11
11. Brandon Buckley – Michael Orris              Penn State University           66.44
Day 1: 5   24-10   Total:   5  24-10
12. Jack Hippe – Chase Serafin                   Adrian College                  63.09
Day 1: 5   24-07   Total:   5  24-07
13. Tanner Ward – Rory Franks                    Kent State University           59.73
Day 1: 5   24-05   Total:   5  24-05
14. Griffin Fernandes – Gunner Wilson            Adrian College                  56.38
Day 1: 5   24-03   Total:   5  24-03
14. Lucas Murphy – Mitchell Gunn                 Grand Valley State University   56.38
Day 1: 5   24-03   Total:   5  24-03
16. Colby Bryant –                               Sam Houston State University    49.66
Day 1: 5   24-01   Total:   5  24-01
17. Zeke Gossett – Hayden Bartee                 Jacksonville State University- A46.31
Day 1: 5   23-12   Total:   5  23-12
17. Miller Spivey – Trey Dickert                 University of Montevallo        46.31
Day 1: 5   23-12   Total:   5  23-12
17. Tyler Vanbrandt – Ben Barrus                 Adrian College                  46.31
Day 1: 5   23-12   Total:   5  23-12
20. Robert Cruvellier – Chase Clarke             Auburn University               36.24
Day 1: 5   23-11   Total:   5  23-11
21. Justin Carr – Austin Carr                    Illinois State University       32.89
Day 1: 5   23-08   Total:   5  23-08
21. Cole Zagrzebski – Ryan Bradway               Western Michigan University     32.89
Day 1: 5   23-08   Total:   5  23-08
23. Ty Black – Avry Thomason                     Georgia Southern University     26.17
Day 1: 5   23-07   Total:   5  23-07
23. Jacob Moore – Gilliam Tharpe                 North Carolina State University 26.17
Day 1: 5   23-07   Total:   5  23-07
23. Trevor Topken –                              University of South Carolina    26.17
Day 1: 5   23-07   Total:   5  23-07
26. Chase Chastain – Will Brown                  Jacksonville State University   16.11
Day 1: 5   23-06   Total:   5  23-06
26. John Garrett – Kyle Palmer                   Bethel University- TN           16.11
Day 1: 5   23-06   Total:   5  23-06
28. Weston Hollar – Hunter Ward                  University of Montevallo        409.4
Day 1: 5   23-05   Total:   5  23-05
28. Hunter Scharphorn – Jordan Hurst             Lake Superior State University  409.4
Day 1: 5   23-05   Total:   5  23-05
28. Benjamin Statly – Grant Gallagher            Adrian College                  409.4
Day 1: 5   23-05   Total:   5  23-05
31. Jacob Louis – Nathan Doty                    McKendree University- IL        99.33
Day 1: 5   23-04   Total:   5  23-04
32. Dan Dubose – Jon Kilpatrick                  University of Alabama           95.97
Day 1: 5   23-03   Total:   5  23-03
32. Nathan Ragsdale – Justin Sisavath            University of Georgia           95.97
Day 1: 5   23-03   Total:   5  23-03
34. Cody Huff – Garrett Enders                   Bethel University               89.26
Day 1: 5   23-02   Total:   5  23-02
34. Shane Nelson – Brayden Federer               Adrian College                  89.26
Day 1: 5   23-02   Total:   5  23-02
36. Brad Ableman – Seth Roberts                  Bethel University               82.55
Day 1: 5   23-00   Total:   5  23-00
37. Tyler Anderson – Garrison Thomas             Texas A&M University            79.19
Day 1: 5   22-13   Total:   5  22-13
37. KJ Queen – Dax Ewart                         Bethel University               79.19
Day 1: 5   22-13   Total:   5  22-13
37. Cully Scroggins – Nathon Portch              Bethel University               79.19
Day 1: 5   22-13   Total:   5  22-13
40. Brandon Johnson – Jon Herrman                Paul Smith’s College            69.13
Day 1: 5   22-12   Total:   5  22-12
40. Louis Monetti –                              UNC-Charlotte                   69.13
Day 1: 5   22-12   Total:   5  22-12
40. Drew Tiano – Tristen Bauer                   SUNY Cobleskill                 69.13
Day 1: 5   22-12   Total:   5  22-12
43. Joshua Butts –                               Wallace State Community College 59.06
Day 1: 5   22-11   Total:   5  22-11
43. Chase Farris – Peyton Vinson                 University of North Georgia     59.06
Day 1: 5   22-11   Total:   5  22-11
43. Blake Knies – Eli Lubbehusen                 University of Evansville        59.06
Day 1: 5   22-11   Total:   5  22-11
43. Sean Murphy – William Phillips               Auburn University               59.06
Day 1: 5   22-11   Total:   5  22-11
47. Austin Ocwieja – Anthony Degregorio          University of Buffalo           45.64
Day 1: 5   22-11   Total:   5  22-11
48. Jonathan Kelley – Grant Tattersall           Coastal Carolina University     42.28
Day 1: 5   22-10   Total:   5  22-10
48. Luke Le Blanc – Jared Parsons                SUNY Cobleskill                 42.28
Day 1: 5   22-10   Total:   5  22-10
50. Neal Wisinski – Jesse Pliska                 University of Wisconsin Stevens 35.57
Day 1: 5   22-09   Total:   5  22-09
51. Michael Chase Owens – Will Monti             North Carolina State University 32.21
Day 1: 5   22-08   Total:   5  22-08
51. Nicholas Vandam – Peter Lombado              Grand Valley State University   32.21
Day 1: 5   22-08   Total:   5  22-08
53. Zachary Asher – Jacob Klicman                Kent State University           325.5
Day 1: 5   22-07   Total:   5  22-07
53. Isaac Duncan –                               Blue Mountain College- MS       325.5
Day 1: 5   22-07   Total:   5  22-07
55. Taylor Hamburger – Tristen Turley            Oklahoma State University- OK   18.79
Day 1: 5   22-06   Total:   5  22-06
55. Blake Miles – Noah Beckley                   James Madison University        18.79
Day 1: 5   22-06   Total:   5  22-06
57. Caleb Gibson – Bo Adams                      Northeastern State University   12.08
Day 1: 5   22-05   Total:   5  22-05
58. Alex Henderson – Zach Manneback              Adrian College                  08.72
Day 1: 5   22-04   Total:   5  22-04
59. Rudy Worley – John Nowlin                    Blue Mountain College- MS       05.37
Day 1: 5   22-03   Total:   5  22-03
60. Jordon Leahy – Michal Wolan                  University of Alabama           02.01
Day 1: 5   22-00   Total:   5  22-00
60. Anthony Vintson – Brandon Mathews            Auburn University               02.01
Day 1: 5   22-00   Total:   5  22-00
62. Josh Frederick – Logan Anderson              NC State                        295.3
Day 1: 5   21-15   Total:   5  21-15
63. Colton Lindsey – Allex Conner                Ohio State University           91.95
Day 1: 5   21-14   Total:   5  21-14
63. Justin Rozema – Bob Visicaro                 Paul Smith’s College            91.95
Day 1: 5   21-14   Total:   5  21-14
65. Brandon Brant – Cameron Brant                University of Wisconsin Plattevi85.23
Day 1: 5   21-14   Total:   5  21-14
66. Mason Vernia – Zach Van Kampen               Western Michigan University     81.88
Day 1: 5   21-12   Total:   5  21-12
67. Drew Pridgen – Corey Waits                   Lander University               78.52
Day 1: 5   21-11   Total:   5  21-11
68. Fisher Overton – Alden Keel Jr               Blue Mountain College           75.17
Day 1: 5   21-10   Total:   5  21-10
69. Derek Freeman – Caleb Allgood                Clemson University              71.81
Day 1: 5   21-09   Total:   5  21-09
69. Tyler Lawwill – Chris Carnes                 UNC Charlotte                   71.81
Day 1: 5   21-09   Total:   5  21-09
71. Dakota Cantrell – Dustin Jones               Campbellsville University       265.1
Day 1: 5   21-08   Total:   5  21-08
72. Joshua Lopez – John Neubauer                 Western Michigan University     61.74
Day 1: 5   21-06   Total:   5  21-06
73. Austin Young – Colin Glover                  University of North Georgia     58.39
Day 1: 5   21-04   Total:   5  21-04
74. Hunter Bailey – Jr Young                     Jacksonville State University   55.03
Day 1: 5   21-03   Total:   5  21-03
75. Anthony Fazio – Luke Jasper                  Illinois State University       51.68
Day 1: 5   20-15   Total:   5  20-15
76. Liam West – Brady Waits                      Clemson University              48.32
Day 1: 5   20-12   Total:   5  20-12
77. Daniel Jenkins – Cooper Casillas             James Madison University        44.97
Day 1: 5   20-11   Total:   5  20-11
78. Colin Bope – Ben Wiley                       Ohio State University           41.61
Day 1: 5   20-10   Total:   5  20-10
79. Zach Kronewitter – Jacob McLaighlin          Clemson University              38.26
Day 1: 5   20-09   Total:   5  20-09
80. Trevor McKinney – Ethan Jones                McKendree University            234.9
Day 1: 5   20-08   Total:   5  20-08
80. Ryan Winchester – Cole Walker                Bethel University               234.9
Day 1: 5   20-08   Total:   5  20-08
82. Evan Slentz – Colin Slentz                   Lander University               28.19
Day 1: 5   20-04   Total:   5  20-04
83. Charley Kuhn – Reese Penfield                University of South Carolina- Be24.83
Day 1: 5   20-02   Total:   5  20-02
83. Atom Ward – Gavin Lagle                      Indiana University Southeast    24.83
Day 1: 5   20-02   Total:   5  20-02
85. Griffin Heffington – Mason Cizek             Bryan College- TN               18.12
Day 1: 5   20-01   Total:   5  20-01
86. Evan Bowman – Eli Daniels                    University of Rio Grande        14.77
Day 1: 5   19-15   Total:   5  19-15
87. Justin Mayfield – Caleb Stephenson           Campbellsville University       11.41
Day 1: 5   19-14   Total:   5  19-14
87. Nicholas Petrou – Thomas Patwell             SUNY Cobleskill                 11.41
Day 1: 5   19-14   Total:   5  19-14
89. Jeremy Severic – Tyler Tamburo               LSU Shreveport                  204.7
Day 1: 5   19-14   Total:   5  19-14
90. David Brashear – Ryan Kent                   Georgia Southern University     01.34
Day 1: 5   19-12   Total:   5  19-12
91. Nick Fulks – David Blaker                    California University of Pennsyl97.99
Day 1: 5   19-09   Total:   5  19-09
91. Joe Long – Logan Wade                        Indiana University              97.99
Day 1: 5   19-09   Total:   5  19-09
91. Tyler Robinson – Noah Lantz                  Clarkson University             97.99
Day 1: 5   19-09   Total:   5  19-09
94. Austin Keppler – Harry Day                   University of Buffalo           87.92
Day 1: 5   19-08   Total:   5  19-08
95. Trevor Sagrecy – Jordan Smallwood            Campbellsville University       84.56
Day 1: 5   19-07   Total:   5  19-07
96. Dalton Childers –                            Auburn University               81.21
Day 1: 5   19-05   Total:   5  19-05
96. Robert Gee – Grayson Perkins                 University of Tennessee         81.21
Day 1: 5   19-05   Total:   5  19-05
98. Andrew Mega – Amren Strigo                   UNC-Charlotte                   174.5
Day 1: 5   19-04   Total:   5  19-04
99. Hunter Sales – Tristan Stalsworth            Carson-Newman University        71.14
Day 1: 5   19-02   Total:   5  19-02
99. Thad Simerly – Bennett Kudder                Bryan College                       0
Day 1: 5   19-02   Total:   5  19-02
101. Bryce Fowler – Jerris Bush                   East Carolina University        64.43
Day 1: 5   19-01   Total:   5  19-01
101. Jason Zubris – Joe Maese                     Penn State University           64.43
Day 1: 5   19-01   Total:   5  19-01
103. Curtis Dillon –                              East Carolina University        57.72
Day 1: 5   18-15   Total:   5  18-15
103. Michael Galeana – Maciek Chmielewski         Marquette University            57.72
Day 1: 5   18-15   Total:   5  18-15
105. Sam Clark – Hunter Osborne                   Georgetown College              51.01
Day 1: 5   18-13   Total:   5  18-13
105. Cullen Lamm-Hoover –                         Hampden-Sydney College          51.01
Day 1: 5   18-13   Total:   5  18-13
105. Nolan Pyle – Aaron Bunting                   Gannon University               51.01
Day 1: 5   18-13   Total:   5  18-13
108. Logan Brewster – Drew Elrod                  University of Tennessee         40.94
Day 1: 5   18-11   Total:   5  18-11
109. Jonathan Creed – Jared Latone                Youngstown State University     37.58
Day 1: 5   18-07   Total:   5  18-07
110. Wyatt Ivers – Jack Goodwyn                   James Madison University        34.23
Day 1: 5   18-05   Total:   5  18-05
111. Joseph Bruener – Bailey Bleser               McKendree University            30.87
Day 1: 5   18-03   Total:   5  18-03
111. Nathan Perrotta – David Crandall             Clarkson University             30.87
Day 1: 5   18-03   Total:   5  18-03
111. Matthew Roberts – Richard Cornett            Allice-Lloyd College            30.87
Day 1: 5   18-03   Total:   5  18-03
114. Will Hughes – River Lee                      Stephen F Austin State Universit20.81
Day 1: 5   18-02   Total:   5  18-02
115. Drew Camp – Connor Fenwick                   Christopher Newport University  17.45
Day 1: 5   18-01   Total:   5  18-01
115. Josh Hart – Ben Dominque                     Clemson University              17.45
Day 1: 5   18-01   Total:   5  18-01
115. Ben Kinney – Whit Edmonds                    Lander University               17.45
Day 1: 5   18-01   Total:   5  18-01
118. Mason Sapp – Morgan Miracle                  Campbellsville University       07.38
Day 1: 5   18-00   Total:   5  18-00
119. Dylan Harter – Izayah McGill                 Paul Smith’s College            04.03
Day 1: 5   17-11   Total:   5  17-11
120. Ricky Huge – Cordell Beckman                 Greenville University           00.67
Day 1: 5   17-10   Total:   5  17-10
121. Branden Newcome – Garrett Thompson           West Virginia University        97.32
Day 1: 5   17-08   Total:   5  17-08
122. Adam Cook – Nate Overocker                   Greenville University           93.96
Day 1: 5   17-04   Total:   5  17-04
122. Matt Joyce – Quinten Smith                   University of Rio Grande        93.96
Day 1: 5   17-04   Total:   5  17-04
124. Cameron Cornelius – Conner  Johnson          Georgetown College              87.25
Day 1: 5   17-01   Total:   5  17-01
125. Jj Kocevar – Tanner Shriver                  Kent State University           83.89
Day 1: 5   17-01   Total:   5  17-01
126. Jeremy McLaughlin – Nathan Mclaughlin        Ohio State University           80.54
Day 1: 5   16-15   Total:   5  16-15
127. Matt Bernard – Hunter Stone                  Clarkson University             77.18
Day 1: 5   16-14   Total:   5  16-14
127. Jake Lee – Dalton Price                      Bryan College                   77.18
Day 1: 5   16-14   Total:   5  16-14
129. Ben Coolidge – Tyler Keim                    Paul Smith’s College            70.47
Day 1: 5   16-13   Total:   5  16-13
130. Grayson Wages – Garrett Beem                 Kennesaw State University       67.11
Day 1: 5   16-11   Total:   5  16-11
131. Ryan Fox – Jonathan Dietz                    Penn State University           63.76
Day 1: 5   16-10   Total:   5  16-10
132. Jack Reed – Gavin Haley                      Liberty University               60.4
Day 1: 5   16-09   Total:   5  16-09
133. Justin Grigg – Collins Janus                 Winthrop University             57.05
Day 1: 5   16-07   Total:   5  16-07
134. Stephen Kinard – Jimmy Mitchum               Lander University               53.69
Day 1: 5   16-00   Total:   5  16-00
135. Taggert Tesdal – Josef Rogers                Iowa State University           50.34
Day 1: 5   15-14   Total:   5  15-14
136. Michael Clark – Jacob Cotton                 Liberty University              46.98
Day 1: 5   15-11   Total:   5  15-11
137. Aidan England – Braden Perry                 Carson-Newman University        43.62
Day 1: 5   15-05   Total:   5  15-05
138. Jules Williams – Phillip Pittman             North Carolina State University 40.27
Day 1: 5   15-04   Total:   5  15-04
139. Ike Andrews –                                Christopher Newport University  36.91
Day 1: 5   15-03   Total:   5  15-03
140. David Hendel – Mason Dejarnette              Ohio State University           33.56
Day 1: 5   15-02   Total:   5  15-02
141. Patrick Henry – Gardon Wycoff                Ohio State University            30.2
Day 1: 5   14-04   Total:   5  14-04
142. Chandler Hildebrand – Garrett Belich         Kent State University           26.85
Day 1: 5   14-02   Total:   5  14-02
143. Armando Ortiz – Patrick Pelt                 Auburn University               23.49
Day 1: 5   13-14   Total:   5  13-14
144. Bo Thomas – Blake Anderson                   Western Michigan University     20.13
Day 1: 4   13-12   Total:   4  13-12
145. Justin Bun – Jacob Eaton                     Polk State College              16.78
Day 1: 5   13-10   Total:   5  13-10
146. Josh Dugger – Jacob Dugger                   Arkansas Tech University        13.42
Day 1: 5   13-06   Total:   5  13-06
147. Charlie Ippolito – Bo Howland                James Madison University        10.07
Day 1: 5   11-07   Total:   5  11-07
148. Luke Jenkins – Colin Johnson                 Northern Kentucky University     6.71
Day 1: 4   11-06   Total:   4  11-06
149. Kyle Kuty – Caleb Null                       St. Lawrence University             0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00