Day 1: College teams on Cherokee

Day 1 of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Eastern Conference Regional presented by Bass Pro Shops on Cherokee Lake greeted the field with overcast conditions as they looked for solid five-bass limits.

Teams blow by as they are still heading to their spots for the day.

John Berry was part of this duo I stopped on from Tennessee Tech.

Nearby a Bethel team was hooked up.

The smallmouth jumps near the boat and thrashes.

But Garrett Enders lands it in the net.

This was their 5th keeper of the morning.

And it gave them 13 to 14 pounds early on.

So they decided to move from that area since it was so productive so fast.

Meanwhile Sam Carris and Berry had 4 in the box and had also started catching them fast.

Carris focuses on his bait, waiting for any slight “tick” that would indicate a bite.

I left them and the next team I found was Hunter Louden and Cully Scroggins of Bethel University.

Scroggins set the hook, but it was in one of the numerous boulders that litter Cherokee Lake.

Louden set the hook as well…

But it did result in a fish, just not the desirable size.

Louden continued to drag through the off shore rock.

Teams began running around and changing spots frequently.

After Louden got snagged once more…

They decided to move on in hopes of landing some big ones like they lost earlier.

North Georgia was burning up the bank when I locked in on them.

A goose was cleaning itself as they fished down the bank.

Reid Daniel slings an underspin around the deep bank.

Dylan Pritchett and Connor Thompson of Bryan College were fishing off shore when I approached them.

They had two in the livewell so far and were looking to fill their limit from this spot.

They said their two fish were solid keepers.

Thompson hooked up with their 3rd possible fish of the day.

It was indeed a keeper as it jumped before the net.

Another healthy Cherokee Lake smallmouth.

Thompson battles it to the boat as Pritchett stretches the net out.

In the net!

Their 3rd keeper was a solid one as they inched closer to their limit.

There were occasional floating logs and limps from the recent rising water.

A nearby Tennessee team was fishing down the bank.

As was Virginia Tech.

They said they had motor problems after their initial long run and had to turn around and make their way back so they didn’t risk being stranded.

The Hokie team hooks up.

He pulls it in with a spinning rod.

But it wasn’t a 15-incher which is the length limit for largemouth this week.

They were working a one-two approach with a topwater and a finesse application.

The haze and overcast conditions made the East Tennessee mountains almost disappear.

I found the Tennessee Tech team of Carris and Berry in another spot and they were handling some fish care and culling. They were sporting some new non-penetrating cull clips designed by TH Marine. College Anglers are not allowed to use penetrating clips in this event.

Carris hooks up shortly after…

It seemed like a decent bass, if it was one.

But it wasn’t. A drum had both he and the cameraman fooled.

The Bethel duo of Cole Floyd and Carter McNeil were fishing off shore and had a limit in the boat, but needed a kicker.

They used their electronics to target these deeper smallmouth.

Teams began jockeying for spots as the afternoon approached.

Garrett Enders and his teammate, which I found across the lake earlier, were trying another spot.

They had yet to upgrade from their total earlier, but they were trying to mix up their areas as best as they could to manage fish.