The 2014 champions Andrew Helms (left) and Jake Whitaker of the University of North Carolina-Charlotte will defend their title at the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops July 9-11, on Lake DuBay out of Stevens Point, Wis.
April 27, 2015
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College Series Heading To Wisconsin For National Championship
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Some of the nation’s best smallmouth fishing is on tap for collegiate anglers competing in the 2015 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.
The championship is July 9-11 at Lake DuBay on the Wisconsin River. Event host is the Stevens Point Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“We are excited to be the first Wisconsin location to host the national championship and to showcase the quality fishing within central Wisconsin to the participants and spectators,” said Sara Brish, executive director of the Stevens Point Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“Our partnerships with the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, UWSP Big Dawgs Fishing Club and the hospitality community will help us to roll out the red carpet for the upcoming event.”
The event continues a tradition for holding the event on midsize bass fisheries surrounded by tourism and outdoor opportunities for the college anglers and fans. The recreationally rich Stevens Point area and 6,830-acre Lake DuBay are conveniently located in central Wisconsin.
“With the size of the event and the awareness it receives, not only is it the premier championship in the college ranks, it is a premier event in the sport of bass fishing as a whole,” said Hank Weldon, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series tournament manager.
Teams qualify for the championship through a series of conference regional tournaments that began in January. The final qualifier is the Wild Card event, June 3-5. That tournament will take place on Lake Barkley in Tennessee.
Up to 90 teams are expected to compete. At the national championship, the entire field competes on the first two days. On the third day, the field is trimmed to the Top 5 teams catching the heaviest cumulative five-bass daily limits.
Following the championship round, members of the Top 4 teams compete individually in the Carhartt College Series Classic Bracket presented by Bass Pro Shops for three more days. The top college angler in the Classic bracket competition earns an invitation to compete with the world’s top professional bass anglers in the 2016 Bassmaster Classic on Grand Lake near Tulsa, Okla.
Weldon expects the new fishery and host venue to attract a large audience, thanks in part to a Bassmaster Elite Series-style fishing expo in Stevens Point.
“We have broken attendance records the past two years in Young Harris, Ga., with close to 10,000 attendees over the course of the week,” Weldon noted. “Stevens Point has the potential to break those records once again.”
Takeoffs will be held at Tiki Beach Bar and Grill (1126 County Road DB, Mosinee, Wis.). Weigh-ins will be at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point campus at Colman Field (2100 Maria Dr., Stevens Point, Wis.).
The championship, like all Carhartt Bassmaster College Series events, will be aired on the ESPNU network.
