With precipitation ranging from an incessant mist to torrential downpours sweeping the area throughout the morning, the odds favored a slow start to the FLW College Fishing National Championship being presented by the Lowrance Insight Genesis College Cup here on Lake Murray. As it turns out, however, the bass apparently liked the extra water and reacted accordingly.

A number of the teams that found prime spawning areas for blueback herring in practice earlier this week returned on day one and were rewarded with limit catches of largemouths and spots by midmorning. Among them was the local favorite, the University of South Carolina, which reportedly had culled up to about 13 pounds by 11 a.m. Likewise, Oregon State University was sitting on about 15 pounds and had culled five times. Tanner Masters and Wyatt Ryan of East Central University (of Oklahoma) caught their limit fishing seawalls and riprapped banks during the sporadic herring spawns that fired up as soon as boats reached their first fishing destinations.

“I feel good about our fish replenishing every morning,” says Ryan Sparks of Oregon State University. “It’s not because of anything except that it’s the kind of place where herring are going to congregate and the bass are going to come up and feed on them. If you get around bluebacks, you’re around bass too.”

Today’s weigh-in is set for 5 p.m. ET adjacent to Carolina Stadium. Every team will weigh in today and Friday, with the top 10 vying for the title on Saturday. The championship weigh-in is set for 4 p.m. ET Saturday.