More than 200 of these fishermen faced off in South Carolina last week to compete in the 2024 Bassmaster College National Championship on Lake Hartwell. The field of 130 two-man teams (a few fished solo) was whittled down to 12 teams by Saturday, the third and final day of the tournament, with each team competing for the heaviest combined bags of five bass. Garrett Smith and Andrew Blanton of Lander University came from behind to take first place at that event and bring home the school’s first national championship trophy.
Smith and Blanton, both of whom grew up within a few hours of Lake Hartwell, won the tournament by sticking to shallower areas of the lake, especially around the Tugaloo River. They focused on bream beds, targeting big bass that were hunting in packs, and — with clear skies overhead — never once turned on their forward-facing sonar. The two Lander anglers stuck with this strategy and climbed from 22nd to third place on the second day to make the final cut on Sunday, when they weighed the heaviest bag of the whole event.
We sat down with Smith and Blanton for this week’s podcast episode, and they shared some of the tactics (and mishaps) behind their big win on Hartwell. We also talked about the journey these two kids have been on, what their college experience has been like, and why anyone who wants to see where this sport is headed should check out the college leagues.
Over the past few months, we’ve gotten an up-close look at this uber-competitive world by following the Bassmaster College Series. This spring I covered a qualifying tournament on Kentucky Lake, where 216 two-man teams competed for a chance to fish the National Championship and work their way up in the Team of the Year rankings. Since then, I’ve spoken with coaches, tournament organizers, and current student anglers, along with pro angler John Garrett, who won his first Elite Series tournament this year after making a name for himself on the college circuit.
Photo by Luke Stoner / B.A.S.S.
Garrett isn’t the only one to successfully make the jump, either. If you look at the Bassmaster Elite Series, which is widely considered the highest level of pro bass fishing, about two dozen of the 130 anglers are under the age of 30. Of those, 22 came up through the college ranks, and there are plenty more on their way.
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“When you talk about college fishing, you’re talking about the best young fishermen in the country,” B.A.S.S. tournament manager Glenn Cale tells Outdoor Life. “These young men and women are the future pros that we’ll be watching on TV.”
Tune in to this week’s episode on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts to hear more from these two college champs who want to go pro.