Buchanan, Tenn. – Day one of the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley is in the books and Kentucky Lake
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proved to be a formidable adversary for college fishing’s best young anglers Friday.
A cold front greeted the anglers this morning which brought strong winds and clear blue bird skies for most of the day making fishing conditions tough on this famous body of water. However, despite a slow start to the day as the sessions rolled on, these college anglers figured out a way to boat some of the giant bass that Kentucky Lake is known for.
Joe Bardill of the 4th ranked team from Murray State University got things kicked off with a bang Friday morning as he brought a 4.80 pound largemouth across the stage to claim first place in Session 1 presented by Engel Coolers. Though he goes to a nearby college located not far from the ramp here in Paris, Bardill did not enter this event with a whole lot of confidence. “I was pretty worried about catching bigger fish coming into this just because it’s fall. The timing seems to be a huge factor this time of year,” Bardill said.
Many anglers today mentioned experiencing a strong topwater bite early this morning. The Session 1 winner from Murray State credits a topwater bait for his session winning catch. “Whenever we went out today, we just honestly knew we needed a bigger bite. Threw topwater all day long. That one fish that I caught for that first session, it hit a Whopper Plopper at the boat,” added Bardill. Session 1 proved to be the easiest session of the day to claim a prize. It took only 1.82 pounds to claim 10th place in the session presented by Engel Coolers.
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