College Anglers Prepare for Bassmaster Competition on Texas’ Lake Amistad
OutdoorHub 03.07.13
The Carhartt Bassmaster College Series is headed to Lake Amistad — one of America’s top trophy bass lakes — in Del Rio, Texas, March 8-9.
After a record-setting season opener on Florida’s Harris Chain, anglers set their sights on catching big bass and re-writing the record books during the Central Regional.
Teams from Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico could only watch from the sidelines as college anglers from the Southern Region brought in limits weighing nearly 30 pounds, including some double-digit bass in January. Now, it’s their chance to move to center stage this weekend.
Each two-angler team will compete for two days on Lake Amistad with the goal of finishing in the Top 10.
The Top 10 teams will then advance to the Carhartt College Bassmaster National Championship. The 10-team qualification is based on a field of 50 boats. With each additional 10 boats, an additional championship berth is provided.
According to Texas Tech University angler Robert Hawthorne, the quality of fishing on Lake Amistad depends heavily on weather conditions.
“It might be a little tough, depending on the weather front that’s getting ready to roll in,” said Hawthorne. “The buck bass should be shallow, and the big females shouldn’t be far behind them. If it is a severe front, they will stay in their staging areas, but if it’s not severe, they may start moving shallow.”
If those big bass do move shallow, they will make themselves all the more accessible to a field of hungry anglers who have spent the majority of the winter in dorm rooms and classrooms. If conditions permit, expect to see these anglers excel on the water.
“If the weather is good, it will probably take 25 to 30 pounds a day to win,” said Hawthorne.
There is a chance that the weather could be bad, causing bag sizes to shrink significantly. However, the long range forecast shows a mild front with warmer nights and only a little rain. This could be the perfect storm, setting the stage for another slugfest.
The Central Regional is the first step in a long road for one of these anglers to possibly compete in the 2014 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Guntersville in Alabama. B.A.S.S. recently announced that the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship will be held on Chatuge Reservoir in Young Harris, Ga., Aug. 1-3, leading to a coveted berth in the world championship of bass fishing. For more on the National Championship, click here.
Daily coverage of this week’s event will feature a live video stream from the weigh-in, photo galleries, BASSCam videos and stories on Bassmaster.com.
Teams will launch at the Diablo East Boat Ramp daily at 7 a.m. CT, with weigh-ins also at Diablo East starting at 3:10 p.m. CT. For more information concerning the event, please click here.
