COLUMBIA, S.C. – For the third time in the history of the event, the Columbia PFG College Fishing Presented by Abu Garcia National Championship is taking off at Lake Murray. Historically held in April in the 20-teens, both three-day events took under 55 pounds to win. Certainly no mean feat, but far off the predictions for this one. With the bass in Murray as fat as they’ll be all year, and college teams better than ever, we might be in for a heavyweight battle.
What’s on the line
The National Championship pays out $43,500 to the winning team in the form of a new Phoenix boat and cash, plus the winning team goes on to fish in the Toyota Series Championship for a chance to make REDCREST. Second place also wins a boat and makes the Toyota Series Championship as pros, and third place earns $4,000 and makes the championship as co-anglers. Overall, the Top 10 payout will be worth more than $90,000, making it the richest event in college fishing.
High expectations all around
At winter pool and relatively clear, Lake Murray has plenty to offer the anglers in this event. Slap loaded with bass, a lot of them are big, and though they are generally not easy to trick into biting, they go a long way once they’re in a livewell.
“The lake is fishing good right now,” said Stephen Brooks, a senior from Emanuel University. “The bites are few and far between, but they’re a lot of 4-plus quality fish.”
Of course, not getting many bites might not be a bad thing, at least according to Lander University angler Andrew Blanton, who is basically fishing home water this week.
“If you talk to somebody who is getting 40 bites, they’re maxing out at 17 pounds,” he said. “The guys that are going to catch them are going to get less than 10 bites a day, that’s how this place is.”
As far as what is on the table this week, fish can be caught shallow and deep, but they’ll all be in a winter or prespawn mode. One thing that Murray has going for it right now, which isn’t typical for a Carolina reservoir, is grass.
“There’s a good bit of grass in the lake, but it’s about finding grass that is alive right now,” Brooks said. “That’s really the only thing they’re holding on.”
Last year’s runner-up, Montevallo University grad Nick Dumke, agrees that the grass will be a player.
“It’ll definitely be part of our rotation,” he said. “I don’t know how much it is going to play – there’s not tons of it. But, there’s a good amount of it, and some in sneakier areas. I think the best deal is going to be someone who figures out a couple of patterns.”
In addition to the grass, there are docks, stumps, brush, fish in ditches, and fish deep offshore. Also, Murray is known for a good cranking bite, with boat ramps and rocks coming into play – given the right conditions, or a team who wants to push it, we might see some winding.
Almost regardless, look for fireworks at weigh-in. Dumke figures 71 to 73 pounds to win. Brooks is shooting even higher: “I think it’s going to take 26 a day – they’re bitin’.”
Follow along
Fans can check out takeoff and weigh-in at Dreher Island State Park every day at 7:30 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. ET. The final day will be streamed live on MLFNOW!, with the broadcast running from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. ET. Stay tuned to MajorLeagueFishing.com every day for stories, photo galleries and more.