Zack Birge and Blake Flurry of Oklahoma State University grabbed a commanding lead on Day 1 of the Bassmaster College Series National Championship Wednesday.
Could it be that the next Oklahoman to land a spot in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic will be a college student?
With a commanding first-day lead in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship at Little Rock, Ark. today the Oklahoma State University team of Zack Birge and Blake Flurry have a good first step toward landing a spot on bass fishing’s biggest stage with a slot practically assured in Friday’s championship face-off.
BASS reported Wednesday night that only two of the 57 teams fishing the 102-degree heat on the Arkansas River landed a limit weighing in the double digits.
Birge, a wind turbine technology major, and Flurry, a crop soil science major, told BASS they landed their five-bass limit of 17 pounds, 4 ounces in the first few minutes of fishing.
“We caught all five on a frog in one foot of water,” Flurry said. “By about 8:15, 8:30, we were shut down.”
Murray State University anglers Justin Graben and Vincent Campisano are in second place, more than 4 ½ pounds off the lead, with their 12-pound, 10-ounce day.
On a tough fishing day only 11 teams caught five-bass limits, and 30 teams weighed one fish or less, according to BASS. That means the Cowboys have just about assured themselves a shot at the national title. But as they say, you can’t win a tournament on the first day, and that bonus Classic berth does not come easy.
Thursday the tournament moves to Lake Maumelle, where the OSU team just needs to hold to its advantage for a Top 5 finish -- a near certainty at this point. Friday the previous weights are zeroed and the teams chase the national championship on a “mystery lake.”
The Bassmaster Classic berth will be decided among the Top 4 teams after Friday. The anglers will be bracketed in individual competition Saturday and then the top two individuals after Saturday go head-to-head Sunday to determine which one college angler will fish the Classic on Grand Lake Feb. 22-24, 2013.
BASS reported that both Birge and Flurry said they feel like they would have an advantage over the pros on Grand Lake next February. “February is when you catch the big ones at Grand,” Flurry said.
