DAYTON, Tenn. (Oct. 21, 2024) – The University of North Alabama (UNA) duo of Gage King of Birchwood, Tennessee, and Banks Shaw of Harrison, Tennessee, won the MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Lake Chickamauga Presented by Suzuki Marine Friday with a five-bass limit weighing 28 pounds, 9 ounces. The victory earned the Lions’ bass club $2,000 and a qualification into the 2025 MLF College Fishing National Championship.
A heavy influx of runoff from the recent hurricanes was still making its way into Lake Chickamauga when the collegiate anglers arrived. The resulting current and muddy waters were the biggest factors in the outcome.
“We had a really good pattern going – a main-lake pattern – and I think everybody else kind of missed it just because the water was really muddy out there,” said Shaw. “It didn’t look good. We were just running main-lake current breaks, and we were also fishing some submerged grass.”
The submerged grass was hydrilla in 5 to 10 feet of water. For the current-related pattern, the UNA anglers targeted anything that formed an eddy along the main-lake bank, including some shallow points where the fish could forage in the flows. Their best areas were near the mouths of large creeks.
King and Shaw fished a milk run of about 30 to 40 spots, cycling back through any that produced good fish. Their primary lures were a Picasso Bait Ball Jr. umbrella rig and a 5-inch Zoom Swimmer.
“It was just really hard to catch them just because the water was dirty,” added Shaw. “You just had to put it right on their head to catch them.”
The top 10 teams finished:
1st: University of North Alabama – Gage King, Birchwood, Tenn., and Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn., five bass, 28-9, $2,000
2nd: University of Montevallo – Connor Bell, Lisbon, N.Y., and Nicholas Dumke, Grand Rapids, Minn., five bass, 19-13, $1,000
3rd: University of Montevallo – Miller Dowling, Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Mason Kornegay, Buhl, Ala., five bass, 19-8, $700
4th: Kentucky Christian University – Ethan Burnette, Monticello, Ky., and Cameron Dials, Lovely, Ky., five bass, 19-4, $600
5th: University of Montevallo – Brody Robison, Dawson, Ala., and Peyton Sorrow, Abbeville, S.C., five bass, 18-10, $500
6th: Florida Gateway College – Seth Jones, Havana, Fla., and Bryson O’Steen, Live Oak, Fla., five bass, 18-10
7th: University of North Alabama – Samuel Schmitz and Nick Staub, both of Germantown, Tenn., five bass, 18-6
8th: University of Montevallo – Luke Davis, Bishop, Ga., and Kaden Raichel, Scottsburg, Ind., five bass, 18-2
9th: University of Montevallo – Mathias Boerboom, Inver Grove Heights, Minn., and Jacob Swanson, Farmingham, Mass., five bass, 18-1
10th: Adrian College – Mathias Dahline, Howell, Mich., and Henry Vincent, Richmond, Ind., five bass, 17-15
The top 12% of teams qualified for the 2025 National Championship. A full list of qualifiers and complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Lake Chickamauga Presented by Suzuki Marine was hosted by Fish Dayton – Rhea Economic & Tourism Council. It was the final event of the 2024 College Fishing season. The 2025 season kicks off at Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia, on February 14.
The 2024 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI season features college teams from across the country competing in nine regular-season tournaments. The top 12 percent of teams from each regular-season tournament advance to the 2025 Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI include: 7 Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular College Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
