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News: 03/24/07
University of Arkansas Wins the College Smashmouth
Tournament on Lake Dardanelle
Luke Adams and Raymond Phillips win with 40.15 pounds
Story by Terrance Narveson
Arkansas Tech University hosted to the second annual College Smash Mouth
Bass Tournament this Friday and Saturday in Russellville. There were 19
colleges from around the country that came to Lake Dardanelle to take home
the top prize. Next to the national championship this probably the biggest
competition between other schools the fishermen will experience. With 49
teams in the competition and the fish biting everywhere, the anglers were
excited to hit the water. For some of the anglers this was their first big
competition and with Fox College Sports on the water with video crews, the
pressure was on to stay focused. The teams were welcomed to 80 degree days
and the fish moving up for the spawn so the challenge was to fish for the big
females on beds or pre-spawners that have not pulled up yet. When the two
day event was finished it seemed that both patterns performed well but it was
the University of Arkansas who edged out the top spot to take home first place
with 40.15lbs. Here is how they caught their fish.
First place 40.15lbs University of Arkansas – Luke Adams & Raymond Phillips
Luke and his dad got chance to come down and fish before the tournament
and they found a pattern that held up for the entire tournament. They were
primarily fishing for pre-spawn fish coming up using a Eakins jigs, floating
worms, flukes, and rattle traps. Dardanelle bay and one bank down by the dam
held all their fish. The fishing pressure made it difficult on the second day but
the fish on the river didn’t seem to be hit as hard and that is where they
ended up getting their better fish. For both days of competition they caught
over 15 keepers and many, many more smaller ones. They are one of the new
schools in the College Smash Mouth program and look forward to fishing more
of the events. They will be hosting a tournament on Beaver lake on April 28th
& 29th and invite other schools to come and fish again.
Second place 38.06lbs Stephen F Austin – Blake Whatley & Casey Sobczak
Blake & Casey were on the water for two days of practice but found their
honey hole the first hour on the water. After they left what they knew was
going to be their starting spot, they just drove around the lake familiarizing
themselves with Dardanelle hoping to stumble on another hot spot. They were
running twenty miles up the river to one spot that was loaded with fish. This is
where they went to get their limit and would come back down and sight fish for
bigger ones. Their fish were caught on senko’s and Texas rigged brushhogs.
The lake fished to their style of fishing (braided line, heavy cover on Sam
Rayburn) down in Texas and catching approx. 60 fish a day was just a bonus.
Third place 37.12lbs Stephen F Austin – Cale Schrock & Derryl Dennis
For practice they tried everything to see what would catch the bigger fish.
After figuring out the pattern it was just a matter of finding the areas. They
covered a lot of water and applied the pattern for both days of the
tournament. Their pattern consisted of fishing shallow on the north end of the
lake in the morning and coming back down to a couple of key holes that were
producing bigger fish. Deryl and Cale commented that Lake Dardanelle is hard
to beat this time of year. When you can go out and catch 30-40 fish a day that
would measure on any other lake it was amazing.
Big Bass 7.33lbs
The fish was caught on a custom painted crankbait by Casey Sobczak just of a
weedbed in Delaware Bay . It was their first fish of the day caught on the third
cast.
More photos from this event will be posted in the near future. Please Check
back. Here are the top ten finishing teams:
University of Arkansas - 40.15lbs Raymond Phillips & Luke Adams
Stephen F Austin – 38.06lbs Blake Whatley & Casey Sobczak
Stephen F Austin – 37.12lbs Cale Schrock & Derryl Dennis
University of Illinois – 35.57lbs TJ Lane & Stephen Mui
Stephen F Austin – 34.47lbs Evan Laws & Ben Newsom
Northwest State – 33.62lbs Jarred Williams & Ryan Wiggins
University of Alabama – 33.60lbs Daniel Statum & Rusty Jones
Stephen F Austin – 33.09lbs Andrew Lewandowski & Brett Sobczak (Big Bass
7.33lbs)
Pittsburg State -32.01 Brandon McDade & Chris Newmann
Northwest State – 31.39 Nathan Fields & Robby Valentine
Christie Austin the tournament director would like to thank everyone that was
involved with the tournament from volunteers to sponsors and those who
took the time to come to Russellville. She was impressed with the caliber of
competition that the student anglers brought to the tournament and everyone
represented their respective schools with grace and integrity. They were
great role models for the kids in attendance and she looks forward to seeing
them again next year for another great event.
University of Arkansas Wins the College Smashmouth
Tournament on Lake Dardanelle
Luke Adams and Raymond Phillips win with 40.15 pounds
Story by Terrance Narveson
Arkansas Tech University hosted to the second annual College Smash Mouth
Bass Tournament this Friday and Saturday in Russellville. There were 19
colleges from around the country that came to Lake Dardanelle to take home
the top prize. Next to the national championship this probably the biggest
competition between other schools the fishermen will experience. With 49
teams in the competition and the fish biting everywhere, the anglers were
excited to hit the water. For some of the anglers this was their first big
competition and with Fox College Sports on the water with video crews, the
pressure was on to stay focused. The teams were welcomed to 80 degree days
and the fish moving up for the spawn so the challenge was to fish for the big
females on beds or pre-spawners that have not pulled up yet. When the two
day event was finished it seemed that both patterns performed well but it was
the University of Arkansas who edged out the top spot to take home first place
with 40.15lbs. Here is how they caught their fish.
First place 40.15lbs University of Arkansas – Luke Adams & Raymond Phillips
Luke and his dad got chance to come down and fish before the tournament
and they found a pattern that held up for the entire tournament. They were
primarily fishing for pre-spawn fish coming up using a Eakins jigs, floating
worms, flukes, and rattle traps. Dardanelle bay and one bank down by the dam
held all their fish. The fishing pressure made it difficult on the second day but
the fish on the river didn’t seem to be hit as hard and that is where they
ended up getting their better fish. For both days of competition they caught
over 15 keepers and many, many more smaller ones. They are one of the new
schools in the College Smash Mouth program and look forward to fishing more
of the events. They will be hosting a tournament on Beaver lake on April 28th
& 29th and invite other schools to come and fish again.
Second place 38.06lbs Stephen F Austin – Blake Whatley & Casey Sobczak
Blake & Casey were on the water for two days of practice but found their
honey hole the first hour on the water. After they left what they knew was
going to be their starting spot, they just drove around the lake familiarizing
themselves with Dardanelle hoping to stumble on another hot spot. They were
running twenty miles up the river to one spot that was loaded with fish. This is
where they went to get their limit and would come back down and sight fish for
bigger ones. Their fish were caught on senko’s and Texas rigged brushhogs.
The lake fished to their style of fishing (braided line, heavy cover on Sam
Rayburn) down in Texas and catching approx. 60 fish a day was just a bonus.
Third place 37.12lbs Stephen F Austin – Cale Schrock & Derryl Dennis
For practice they tried everything to see what would catch the bigger fish.
After figuring out the pattern it was just a matter of finding the areas. They
covered a lot of water and applied the pattern for both days of the
tournament. Their pattern consisted of fishing shallow on the north end of the
lake in the morning and coming back down to a couple of key holes that were
producing bigger fish. Deryl and Cale commented that Lake Dardanelle is hard
to beat this time of year. When you can go out and catch 30-40 fish a day that
would measure on any other lake it was amazing.
Big Bass 7.33lbs
The fish was caught on a custom painted crankbait by Casey Sobczak just of a
weedbed in Delaware Bay . It was their first fish of the day caught on the third
cast.
More photos from this event will be posted in the near future. Please Check
back. Here are the top ten finishing teams:
University of Arkansas - 40.15lbs Raymond Phillips & Luke Adams
Stephen F Austin – 38.06lbs Blake Whatley & Casey Sobczak
Stephen F Austin – 37.12lbs Cale Schrock & Derryl Dennis
University of Illinois – 35.57lbs TJ Lane & Stephen Mui
Stephen F Austin – 34.47lbs Evan Laws & Ben Newsom
Northwest State – 33.62lbs Jarred Williams & Ryan Wiggins
University of Alabama – 33.60lbs Daniel Statum & Rusty Jones
Stephen F Austin – 33.09lbs Andrew Lewandowski & Brett Sobczak (Big Bass
7.33lbs)
Pittsburg State -32.01 Brandon McDade & Chris Newmann
Northwest State – 31.39 Nathan Fields & Robby Valentine
Christie Austin the tournament director would like to thank everyone that was
involved with the tournament from volunteers to sponsors and those who
took the time to come to Russellville. She was impressed with the caliber of
competition that the student anglers brought to the tournament and everyone
represented their respective schools with grace and integrity. They were
great role models for the kids in attendance and she looks forward to seeing
them again next year for another great event.
