While the Knockout Round of the Bass Pro Tour Econo Lodge Stage Four Presented by Evinrude was playing out on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee, history was being made on the nearby Watts Bar Lake. The MLF College Face-Off was presented by Spring City, TN.
Major League Fishing held its first-ever College Face-Off on Saturday. Bryan College and Bethel University competed using the SCORETRACKER LIVE app, which is available to anglers to score fishing competitions of 2-200 people. Eight teams of two anglers from each college competed, and the top three teams each weighed in over 69 pounds of bass. The format was similar to the catch, weigh, and immediate-release format that MLF pros and fans have grown to love. However, the college anglers didn’t have an official in their boat to call penalties.
John Garrett and Kyle Palmer of Bethel University took first place, weighing a total of 86 pounds, 15 ounces. Bethel University won the event overall, and the school’s anglers were presented the first-ever MLF College Face-Off shield at the Bass Pro Tour Postgame Show Presented by Berkley on Saturday evening.
Photos by Josh Gassmann