WADDINGTON, N.Y. — West Virginia University’s Nolan Minor and Casey Lanier outfished nearly 300 other college anglers today in what was a slugfest day of fishing at the Bassmaster College Series at St. Lawrence River. The 149-boat field produced a total weight of 3,031 pounds, 3 ounces to begin this tournament in upstate New York. All but three of the teams caught limits of five bass and of that number, 85 teams weighed more than 20 pounds on Day 1. The tremendous catches came courtesy of ideal conditions on the St. Lawrence River, including water temperatures right at 60 degrees, a fishing season that began only five days ago and local bass in the throes of a full spawn.
Minor and Lanier took advantage of the bounty. The West Virginia duo caught five smallmouth bass on Wednesday that weighed 26-6 — a one-day total that normally would blow most competitors out of the water, but was good for only a 9-ounce cushion on the bountiful St. Lawrence River. The Mountaineer duo had a limit within an hour of launching from Whittaker Park on Wednesday and culled four or five times later in the morning. Among their early catches was a 6-2 smallmouth Minor got off a bed. It was a personal best for him and the highlight of a day that saw the leaders scouting new water by 10 a.m.
Minor and Lanier are no strangers to success. They finished fourth in last year’s Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year standings and they were in third place in the race entering this event — the fourth and final regular-season stop for college anglers of 2019. While a win here would be a thrill, Minor and Lanier previously secured a spot in August’s Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops on Tennessee’s Chickamauga Lake.
“There was no pressure on us today,” Minor said. “This is a great place to fish and just have fun. We’ve already qualified for Nationals, and, although we’re in third place in the Team of the Year points, we’re pretty far behind the top two teams. We weren’t worried about finishing in a certain place in the standings here. We just wanted to catch big ones.”
The St. Lawrence River was a perfect stage for doing that. The question now is whether Minor and Lanier can replicate today’s success on Thursday?
“Nothing we came across after 10 o’clock was as big as the 6-2 that Nolan caught today, but we saw some really great fish out there. We can get 20 or 21 pounds Thursday and maybe cull up to 23 or 24. But anything more than that is going to be tough.”
With a target to shoot at, the rest of the 149-boat field will do its best to pressure the leaders the next two days. Jackson Carrell and Bryton Kurtz of Sam Houston State University in Texas are in second place after catching a limit of smallmouth bass weighing 25-13. While limits of largemouth weighing in the 25-pound range are not uncommon on Texas fisheries, the team didn’t expect anything like the smallmouth bite they encountered on the St. Lawrence.
“To catch a 25-pound bag of only smallmouth just blows my mind,” Kurtz said. “It’s one of the best places I’ve ever been.”
Carrell stopped short of saying that catching bass was easy on Wednesday, but he admitted the Sam Houston State team didn’t have to work hard to figure out the bite.
“We had one rod on deck the whole day and had the trolling motor high, running banks just like everyone else,” he said. “The water is so clean, you can see the fish at depths anywhere from 4 to 15 feet.”
Perry Marvin and Cantley Krafft of Virginia Tech University are third with 25-10. Brian Linder and Nathan Thompson of Bemidji (Minn.) State University are fourth with 25-9, and Logan Parks and Lucas Lindsay of Auburn (Ala.) University are fifth with 25-5.
The college event on the St. Lawrence follows similar derbies held earlier this year on North Carolina’s Lake Norman in February, Alabama’s Smith Lake in March and Arkansas’ Bull Shoals Lake in April.
The Top 10 percent of teams from each of those tournaments, as well as the ongoing event at the St. Lawrence, qualify for the national tournament on Chickamauga on Aug. 1-3. Duos can also qualify for the championship through their individual state tournaments or by finishing in the Top 25 of the Team of the Year standings.
Parks and Lindsay boated a monster 6-7 smallmouth that leads competition for the Big Bass Award, which earns winners a $500 gift certificate. Minor and Lanier are in the lead for the Big Bag Award and the $250 gift certificate that will accompany it.
The full field of 149 teams will take off from Whittaker Park Thursday at 5:30 a.m. ET with weigh-in scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The Top 12 duos will fish on Friday for cash and prizes.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
St. Lawrence River, Waddington NY.
2019 Bassmaster College Series at St. Lawrence River 6/19-6/21
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Nolan Minor - Casey Lanier West Virginia University- WV 500
Day 1: 5 26-06 Total: 5 26-06
2. Jackson Carrell - Bryton Kurtz Sam Houston State University 96.64
Day 1: 5 25-13 Total: 5 25-13
3. Perry Marvin - Cantley Krafft Virginia Tech University 93.29
Day 1: 5 25-10 Total: 5 25-10
4. Brian Linder - Nathan Thompson Bemidji State University 89.93
Day 1: 5 25-09 Total: 5 25-09
5. Logan Parks - Lucas Lindsay Auburn University 86.58
Day 1: 5 25-05 Total: 5 25-05
6. Matthew Davis - Jarrod Layton Adrian College 83.22
Day 1: 5 24-15 Total: 5 24-15
7. Ben Seaman - Dante Piraino Clarkson University 79.87
Day 1: 5 24-14 Total: 5 24-14
8. Tyler Lubbat - Calvin Landsberg University of Alabama 76.51
Day 1: 5 24-13 Total: 5 24-13
9. Nick Ratliff - Bradley Dunagan Campbellsville University 73.15
Day 1: 5 24-12 Total: 5 24-12
10. Ty Cox - Chandler Boman Blue Mountain College 469.8
Day 1: 5 24-11 Total: 5 24-11
11. Brandon Buckley - Michael Orris Penn State University 66.44
Day 1: 5 24-10 Total: 5 24-10
12. Jack Hippe - Chase Serafin Adrian College 63.09
Day 1: 5 24-07 Total: 5 24-07
13. Tanner Ward - Rory Franks Kent State University 59.73
Day 1: 5 24-05 Total: 5 24-05
14. Griffin Fernandes - Gunner Wilson Adrian College 56.38
Day 1: 5 24-03 Total: 5 24-03
14. Lucas Murphy - Mitchell Gunn Grand Valley State University 56.38
Day 1: 5 24-03 Total: 5 24-03
16. Colby Bryant - Sam Houston State University 49.66
Day 1: 5 24-01 Total: 5 24-01
17. Zeke Gossett - Hayden Bartee Jacksonville State University- A46.31
Day 1: 5 23-12 Total: 5 23-12
17. Miller Spivey - Trey Dickert University of Montevallo 46.31
Day 1: 5 23-12 Total: 5 23-12
17. Tyler Vanbrandt - Ben Barrus Adrian College 46.31
Day 1: 5 23-12 Total: 5 23-12
20. Robert Cruvellier - Chase Clarke Auburn University 36.24
Day 1: 5 23-11 Total: 5 23-11
21. Justin Carr - Austin Carr Illinois State University 32.89
Day 1: 5 23-08 Total: 5 23-08
21. Cole Zagrzebski - Ryan Bradway Western Michigan University 32.89
Day 1: 5 23-08 Total: 5 23-08
23. Ty Black - Avry Thomason Georgia Southern University 26.17
Day 1: 5 23-07 Total: 5 23-07
23. Jacob Moore - Gilliam Tharpe North Carolina State University 26.17
Day 1: 5 23-07 Total: 5 23-07
23. Trevor Topken - University of South Carolina 26.17
Day 1: 5 23-07 Total: 5 23-07
26. Chase Chastain - Will Brown Jacksonville State University 16.11
Day 1: 5 23-06 Total: 5 23-06
26. John Garrett - Kyle Palmer Bethel University- TN 16.11
Day 1: 5 23-06 Total: 5 23-06
28. Weston Hollar - Hunter Ward University of Montevallo 409.4
Day 1: 5 23-05 Total: 5 23-05
28. Hunter Scharphorn - Jordan Hurst Lake Superior State University 409.4
Day 1: 5 23-05 Total: 5 23-05
28. Benjamin Statly - Grant Gallagher Adrian College 409.4
Day 1: 5 23-05 Total: 5 23-05
31. Jacob Louis - Nathan Doty McKendree University- IL 99.33
Day 1: 5 23-04 Total: 5 23-04
32. Dan Dubose - Jon Kilpatrick University of Alabama 95.97
Day 1: 5 23-03 Total: 5 23-03
32. Nathan Ragsdale - Justin Sisavath University of Georgia 95.97
Day 1: 5 23-03 Total: 5 23-03
34. Cody Huff - Garrett Enders Bethel University 89.26
Day 1: 5 23-02 Total: 5 23-02
34. Shane Nelson - Brayden Federer Adrian College 89.26
Day 1: 5 23-02 Total: 5 23-02
36. Brad Ableman - Seth Roberts Bethel University 82.55
Day 1: 5 23-00 Total: 5 23-00
37. Tyler Anderson - Garrison Thomas Texas A&M University 79.19
Day 1: 5 22-13 Total: 5 22-13
37. KJ Queen - Dax Ewart Bethel University 79.19
Day 1: 5 22-13 Total: 5 22-13
37. Cully Scroggins - Nathon Portch Bethel University 79.19
Day 1: 5 22-13 Total: 5 22-13
40. Brandon Johnson - Jon Herrman Paul Smith's College 69.13
Day 1: 5 22-12 Total: 5 22-12
40. Louis Monetti - UNC-Charlotte 69.13
Day 1: 5 22-12 Total: 5 22-12
40. Drew Tiano - Tristen Bauer SUNY Cobleskill 69.13
Day 1: 5 22-12 Total: 5 22-12
43. Joshua Butts - Wallace State Community College 59.06
Day 1: 5 22-11 Total: 5 22-11
43. Chase Farris - Peyton Vinson University of North Georgia 59.06
Day 1: 5 22-11 Total: 5 22-11
43. Blake Knies - Eli Lubbehusen University of Evansville 59.06
Day 1: 5 22-11 Total: 5 22-11
43. Sean Murphy - William Phillips Auburn University 59.06
Day 1: 5 22-11 Total: 5 22-11
47. Austin Ocwieja - Anthony Degregorio University of Buffalo 45.64
Day 1: 5 22-11 Total: 5 22-11
48. Jonathan Kelley - Grant Tattersall Coastal Carolina University 42.28
Day 1: 5 22-10 Total: 5 22-10
48. Luke Le Blanc - Jared Parsons SUNY Cobleskill 42.28
Day 1: 5 22-10 Total: 5 22-10
50. Neal Wisinski - Jesse Pliska University of Wisconsin Stevens 35.57
Day 1: 5 22-09 Total: 5 22-09
51. Michael Chase Owens - Will Monti North Carolina State University 32.21
Day 1: 5 22-08 Total: 5 22-08
51. Nicholas Vandam - Peter Lombado Grand Valley State University 32.21
Day 1: 5 22-08 Total: 5 22-08
53. Zachary Asher - Jacob Klicman Kent State University 325.5
Day 1: 5 22-07 Total: 5 22-07
53. Isaac Duncan - Blue Mountain College- MS 325.5
Day 1: 5 22-07 Total: 5 22-07
55. Taylor Hamburger - Tristen Turley Oklahoma State University- OK 18.79
Day 1: 5 22-06 Total: 5 22-06
55. Blake Miles - Noah Beckley James Madison University 18.79
Day 1: 5 22-06 Total: 5 22-06
57. Caleb Gibson - Bo Adams Northeastern State University 12.08
Day 1: 5 22-05 Total: 5 22-05
58. Alex Henderson - Zach Manneback Adrian College 08.72
Day 1: 5 22-04 Total: 5 22-04
59. Rudy Worley - John Nowlin Blue Mountain College- MS 05.37
Day 1: 5 22-03 Total: 5 22-03
60. Jordon Leahy - Michal Wolan University of Alabama 02.01
Day 1: 5 22-00 Total: 5 22-00
60. Anthony Vintson - Brandon Mathews Auburn University 02.01
Day 1: 5 22-00 Total: 5 22-00
62. Josh Frederick - Logan Anderson NC State 295.3
Day 1: 5 21-15 Total: 5 21-15
63. Colton Lindsey - Allex Conner Ohio State University 91.95
Day 1: 5 21-14 Total: 5 21-14
63. Justin Rozema - Bob Visicaro Paul Smith's College 91.95
Day 1: 5 21-14 Total: 5 21-14
65. Brandon Brant - Cameron Brant University of Wisconsin Plattevi85.23
Day 1: 5 21-14 Total: 5 21-14
66. Mason Vernia - Zach Van Kampen Western Michigan University 81.88
Day 1: 5 21-12 Total: 5 21-12
67. Drew Pridgen - Corey Waits Lander University 78.52
Day 1: 5 21-11 Total: 5 21-11
68. Fisher Overton - Alden Keel Jr Blue Mountain College 75.17
Day 1: 5 21-10 Total: 5 21-10
69. Derek Freeman - Caleb Allgood Clemson University 71.81
Day 1: 5 21-09 Total: 5 21-09
69. Tyler Lawwill - Chris Carnes UNC Charlotte 71.81
Day 1: 5 21-09 Total: 5 21-09
71. Dakota Cantrell - Dustin Jones Campbellsville University 265.1
Day 1: 5 21-08 Total: 5 21-08
72. Joshua Lopez - John Neubauer Western Michigan University 61.74
Day 1: 5 21-06 Total: 5 21-06
73. Austin Young - Colin Glover University of North Georgia 58.39
Day 1: 5 21-04 Total: 5 21-04
74. Hunter Bailey - Jr Young Jacksonville State University 55.03
Day 1: 5 21-03 Total: 5 21-03
75. Anthony Fazio - Luke Jasper Illinois State University 51.68
Day 1: 5 20-15 Total: 5 20-15
76. Liam West - Brady Waits Clemson University 48.32
Day 1: 5 20-12 Total: 5 20-12
77. Daniel Jenkins - Cooper Casillas James Madison University 44.97
Day 1: 5 20-11 Total: 5 20-11
78. Colin Bope - Ben Wiley Ohio State University 41.61
Day 1: 5 20-10 Total: 5 20-10
79. Zach Kronewitter - Jacob McLaighlin Clemson University 38.26
Day 1: 5 20-09 Total: 5 20-09
80. Trevor McKinney - Ethan Jones McKendree University 234.9
Day 1: 5 20-08 Total: 5 20-08
80. Ryan Winchester - Cole Walker Bethel University 234.9
Day 1: 5 20-08 Total: 5 20-08
82. Evan Slentz - Colin Slentz Lander University 28.19
Day 1: 5 20-04 Total: 5 20-04
83. Charley Kuhn - Reese Penfield University of South Carolina- Be24.83
Day 1: 5 20-02 Total: 5 20-02
83. Atom Ward - Gavin Lagle Indiana University Southeast 24.83
Day 1: 5 20-02 Total: 5 20-02
85. Griffin Heffington - Mason Cizek Bryan College- TN 18.12
Day 1: 5 20-01 Total: 5 20-01
86. Evan Bowman - Eli Daniels University of Rio Grande 14.77
Day 1: 5 19-15 Total: 5 19-15
87. Justin Mayfield - Caleb Stephenson Campbellsville University 11.41
Day 1: 5 19-14 Total: 5 19-14
87. Nicholas Petrou - Thomas Patwell SUNY Cobleskill 11.41
Day 1: 5 19-14 Total: 5 19-14
89. Jeremy Severic - Tyler Tamburo LSU Shreveport 204.7
Day 1: 5 19-14 Total: 5 19-14
90. David Brashear - Ryan Kent Georgia Southern University 01.34
Day 1: 5 19-12 Total: 5 19-12
91. Nick Fulks - David Blaker California University of Pennsyl97.99
Day 1: 5 19-09 Total: 5 19-09
91. Joe Long - Logan Wade Indiana University 97.99
Day 1: 5 19-09 Total: 5 19-09
91. Tyler Robinson - Noah Lantz Clarkson University 97.99
Day 1: 5 19-09 Total: 5 19-09
94. Austin Keppler - Harry Day University of Buffalo 87.92
Day 1: 5 19-08 Total: 5 19-08
95. Trevor Sagrecy - Jordan Smallwood Campbellsville University 84.56
Day 1: 5 19-07 Total: 5 19-07
96. Dalton Childers - Auburn University 81.21
Day 1: 5 19-05 Total: 5 19-05
96. Robert Gee - Grayson Perkins University of Tennessee 81.21
Day 1: 5 19-05 Total: 5 19-05
98. Andrew Mega - Amren Strigo UNC-Charlotte 174.5
Day 1: 5 19-04 Total: 5 19-04
99. Hunter Sales - Tristan Stalsworth Carson-Newman University 71.14
Day 1: 5 19-02 Total: 5 19-02
99. Thad Simerly - Bennett Kudder Bryan College 0
Day 1: 5 19-02 Total: 5 19-02
101. Bryce Fowler - Jerris Bush East Carolina University 64.43
Day 1: 5 19-01 Total: 5 19-01
101. Jason Zubris - Joe Maese Penn State University 64.43
Day 1: 5 19-01 Total: 5 19-01
103. Curtis Dillon - East Carolina University 57.72
Day 1: 5 18-15 Total: 5 18-15
103. Michael Galeana - Maciek Chmielewski Marquette University 57.72
Day 1: 5 18-15 Total: 5 18-15
105. Sam Clark - Hunter Osborne Georgetown College 51.01
Day 1: 5 18-13 Total: 5 18-13
105. Cullen Lamm-Hoover - Hampden-Sydney College 51.01
Day 1: 5 18-13 Total: 5 18-13
105. Nolan Pyle - Aaron Bunting Gannon University 51.01
Day 1: 5 18-13 Total: 5 18-13
108. Logan Brewster - Drew Elrod University of Tennessee 40.94
Day 1: 5 18-11 Total: 5 18-11
109. Jonathan Creed - Jared Latone Youngstown State University 37.58
Day 1: 5 18-07 Total: 5 18-07
110. Wyatt Ivers - Jack Goodwyn James Madison University 34.23
Day 1: 5 18-05 Total: 5 18-05
111. Joseph Bruener - Bailey Bleser McKendree University 30.87
Day 1: 5 18-03 Total: 5 18-03
111. Nathan Perrotta - David Crandall Clarkson University 30.87
Day 1: 5 18-03 Total: 5 18-03
111. Matthew Roberts - Richard Cornett Allice-Lloyd College 30.87
Day 1: 5 18-03 Total: 5 18-03
114. Will Hughes - River Lee Stephen F Austin State Universit20.81
Day 1: 5 18-02 Total: 5 18-02
115. Drew Camp - Connor Fenwick Christopher Newport University 17.45
Day 1: 5 18-01 Total: 5 18-01
115. Josh Hart - Ben Dominque Clemson University 17.45
Day 1: 5 18-01 Total: 5 18-01
115. Ben Kinney - Whit Edmonds Lander University 17.45
Day 1: 5 18-01 Total: 5 18-01
118. Mason Sapp - Morgan Miracle Campbellsville University 07.38
Day 1: 5 18-00 Total: 5 18-00
119. Dylan Harter - Izayah McGill Paul Smith's College 04.03
Day 1: 5 17-11 Total: 5 17-11
120. Ricky Huge - Cordell Beckman Greenville University 00.67
Day 1: 5 17-10 Total: 5 17-10
121. Branden Newcome - Garrett Thompson West Virginia University 97.32
Day 1: 5 17-08 Total: 5 17-08
122. Adam Cook - Nate Overocker Greenville University 93.96
Day 1: 5 17-04 Total: 5 17-04
122. Matt Joyce - Quinten Smith University of Rio Grande 93.96
Day 1: 5 17-04 Total: 5 17-04
124. Cameron Cornelius - Conner Johnson Georgetown College 87.25
Day 1: 5 17-01 Total: 5 17-01
125. Jj Kocevar - Tanner Shriver Kent State University 83.89
Day 1: 5 17-01 Total: 5 17-01
126. Jeremy McLaughlin - Nathan Mclaughlin Ohio State University 80.54
Day 1: 5 16-15 Total: 5 16-15
127. Matt Bernard - Hunter Stone Clarkson University 77.18
Day 1: 5 16-14 Total: 5 16-14
127. Jake Lee - Dalton Price Bryan College 77.18
Day 1: 5 16-14 Total: 5 16-14
129. Ben Coolidge - Tyler Keim Paul Smith's College 70.47
Day 1: 5 16-13 Total: 5 16-13
130. Grayson Wages - Garrett Beem Kennesaw State University 67.11
Day 1: 5 16-11 Total: 5 16-11
131. Ryan Fox - Jonathan Dietz Penn State University 63.76
Day 1: 5 16-10 Total: 5 16-10
132. Jack Reed - Gavin Haley Liberty University 60.4
Day 1: 5 16-09 Total: 5 16-09
133. Justin Grigg - Collins Janus Winthrop University 57.05
Day 1: 5 16-07 Total: 5 16-07
134. Stephen Kinard - Jimmy Mitchum Lander University 53.69
Day 1: 5 16-00 Total: 5 16-00
135. Taggert Tesdal - Josef Rogers Iowa State University 50.34
Day 1: 5 15-14 Total: 5 15-14
136. Michael Clark - Jacob Cotton Liberty University 46.98
Day 1: 5 15-11 Total: 5 15-11
137. Aidan England - Braden Perry Carson-Newman University 43.62
Day 1: 5 15-05 Total: 5 15-05
138. Jules Williams - Phillip Pittman North Carolina State University 40.27
Day 1: 5 15-04 Total: 5 15-04
139. Ike Andrews - Christopher Newport University 36.91
Day 1: 5 15-03 Total: 5 15-03
140. David Hendel - Mason Dejarnette Ohio State University 33.56
Day 1: 5 15-02 Total: 5 15-02
141. Patrick Henry - Gardon Wycoff Ohio State University 30.2
Day 1: 5 14-04 Total: 5 14-04
142. Chandler Hildebrand - Garrett Belich Kent State University 26.85
Day 1: 5 14-02 Total: 5 14-02
143. Armando Ortiz - Patrick Pelt Auburn University 23.49
Day 1: 5 13-14 Total: 5 13-14
144. Bo Thomas - Blake Anderson Western Michigan University 20.13
Day 1: 4 13-12 Total: 4 13-12
145. Justin Bun - Jacob Eaton Polk State College 16.78
Day 1: 5 13-10 Total: 5 13-10
146. Josh Dugger - Jacob Dugger Arkansas Tech University 13.42
Day 1: 5 13-06 Total: 5 13-06
147. Charlie Ippolito - Bo Howland James Madison University 10.07
Day 1: 5 11-07 Total: 5 11-07
148. Luke Jenkins - Colin Johnson Northern Kentucky University 6.71
Day 1: 4 11-06 Total: 4 11-06
149. Kyle Kuty - Caleb Null St. Lawrence University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 146 738 3031-03
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146 738 3031-03