COLUMBIA, S.C. – Going into the Columbia PFG College Fishing Presented by Abu Garcia National Championship on Lake Murray, Andrew Blanton and Garrett Smith of Lander University are probably the team to beat. Blanton is local to Murray, while Smith was raised near Lake Norman – the two are coming off back-to-back wins in the Bassmaster college championship, and Lander is under an hour and a half from Murray.
The final day of practice featured strong winds, which hampered some teams’ ability to move around, and overcast conditions with occasional spitting rain. The Lander duo spent their morning hunting in the relative shallows of Murray, pawing through grass clumps, stumps, docks, and brush in search of the winning fish. The morning proved that the bass in Murray are quite smart, but some of them looked pretty big on the screen, and it seems like we’re set for an exciting tournament.
Roll through the photos below to get a behind-the-scenes look at one of the top college teams in the country in action. The competition level in modern college fishing is through the roof, and it’s likely that Blanton, Smith and the rest of the field will show out in a big way this week.