College: Day 1 on Lay Lake

Day 1 of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Wild Card presented by Bass Pro Shops on Lay Lake got underway early Thursday morning as 127 teams left the boat ramp in search of a 5-bass limit.

The first team I found was Austin Mize and Parker Davis of North Alabama.

They already had 3 keepers in the boat just an hour into the day.

They had another angler looking for a bite near them.

Mize packed up one of his rods as they prepared to change spots.

But first, they checked on their fish.

Teams were littered down the Coosa River impoundment.

Mize and Davis head out.

Jordan Mullis was just down the bank from them.

East Texas Baptist University flies by.

I found another team from Indiana as Brody McWilliams and Tristain Gold were fishing a current break.

Hitting it from every angle they could.

I made a brief run and found the University of Tennessee.

There are some pretty places to catch a bass around the Coosa River.

They didn’t fish long as they headed to another spot.

The Alabama Power plant hangs in view on Lay Lake.

These two neighbors probably don’t speak much during football season.

I found Mize and Davis of North Alabama again and they were catching them this time around.

Davis swings in a small fish that doesn’t help them. At this point they already had a limit.

Mize heaves out a cast.

Davis hooks up a couple casts later.

Mize assists him in the landing job.

Then Mize makes the cull at the livewell.

Mize decided to get in a quick fish catch with a spinning rod.

He swings in a small fish that won’t upgrade.

But then he hooks up with one that looks stout.

Davis gets it in the net.

And they fist pump because they know it’s an upgrade.

That’ll do for North Alabama.

That’s a good cull.

As I pulled away I heard Davis land another one.

After checking out the blog I found JP Kimbrough and Jared Rascoe who had a solid bag at this point in the day.

They were well on their way to another good event, but every upgrade this week will be huge.

Rascoe hooked up.

He fights it to the boat as Kimbrough grabs the net.

In the boat!

A solid 2 1/2 pounder, which helps them cull a 2 pounder.

They used the TH Marine Conservation Cull system, which features non-penetrating clips.

This duo finished 5th in the National Championship in 2016. They also have qualified via the Wild Card two times prior.

They are looking to make it 3 times in a row this week.

I found the team of Cody Stahl and Daniel Kennedy of the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Boats began changing spots frequently as teams made mid-day adjustments.

Stahl and Kennedy only had 3 small fish to show for their morning.

Austin Handley and Caleb Wozniak drive by as they change spots.

Holden McBride and Austin Finley of Central Alabama were hooked up when I pulled up on them.

They had a limit, but were trying to cull.

This one will help.

They made a slight cull, but the fish they just caught became their smallest.

Chase Serafin and Nick Czajka of Adrian College were plugging along.

Meanwhile across the lake, Handley and Wozniak had a fish on.

But it came off at the boat and Handley jumped out of frustration.

But got back to casting immediately.

The Adrian College duo had roughly 10 pounds so far, but regret setting the hook on a couple big ones in practice.

Wozniak used a “plug knocker” to get his crankbait unhung.

The teammates made the College Bracket last year.

They would love the chance at redemption after falling short of the Bassmaster Classic berth.

But first, their goal is to qualify after a successful week at Lay Lake.