4-day BassMaster College and Youth fishing tournament finds its way to Columbia County

The college tournament is Thursday and Friday, and the high school and junior tournament is Saturday and Sunday.

More than 240 college teams from all over the country showed up on Thursday to try and catch the biggest bass in the lake.

They got out on the lake at around 9 a.m., and started coming back for weigh-ins at around 3 p.m. The fish were released afterward.

“They get to bring in five fish, and [we] take the two-day total weight of that, and we’ll crown a champion tomorrow,” said Glenn Cale, the Tournament Master for the BassMaster Tournament.

The top three teams will get trophies, the top ten teams will receive college scholarship money, and $200 dollars will be awarded for the biggest bass.

“A lot goes in it, this is a passion and we as a company of B.A.S.S and the brand, we love to be able to share that passion. That’s one reason why I love doing what I do,” Cale said.

Sponsors were also out there, offering the teams things like scholarship opportunities and discounts on gear.

“Many of them wouldn’t be going to college if it weren’t for scholarships that fishing and the outdoors awarded them,” said Frank Hyla, the Youth Fishing Coordinator for Shimano American Corporation. “People think of baseball, football, basketball as scholarship sports, but this is a really neat part of it.”

“When you’re young and going to college, you don’t have a whole bunch of money, so I feel like it’s very beneficial to the angler so they can get a discount on products so they’re able to fish better,” said Tommy Young, the Grassroots Ambassador for Strike King Lure Company. “It opens up more doors. I didn’t know anything about this when I started bass fishing seven years ago.”

Tournament leaders believe this is a great way for the youth to get involved with the sport while also learning about conservation.

“This is giving kids an opportunity and that’s what’s nice about that having the right support and putting them together with the host B.A.S.S. and the sponsors,” Cale said. “It’s a win-win situation so thank you on behalf of B.A.S.S. and the team there at Columbia, Georgia.”

The top 24 teams will be advancing to the National Championship in August. The location isn’t known yet.