University of North Alabama Wins MLF College Tournament on Harris Chain | Bass Angler Magazine
LEESBURG, Fla. (Jan. 8, 2024) –Dylan Nutt and Carter Nutt, sophomores hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, representing the University of North Alabama, clinched the top spot at the MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on the Harris Chain of Lakes.
Their impressive five-bass catch, weighing 21 pounds and 12 ounces, secured victory. As a result, the Lions’ bass club not only earned $2,000 but also secured a spot in the prestigious 2025 MLF College Fishing National Championship.
“Right off the bat, we hit a wave, and I lost my hat,” Dylan said. “It was a pretty negative way to start the day. We got into the lock to go into Lake Griffin and one of my buddies gave me a nice University of Tennessee visor to wear.
“I think that was the thing that made the difference,” Dylan added with a laugh. “I had the Clifford Pirch look.”
With headwear properly settled, the Nutt team started catching bass in Lake Griffin – the first was a 5-pounder. Dylan said the team relied heavily on a Scottsboro Tackle Company ½-ounce top-hook swimbait that Dylan said was “amazing” for fishing grass. They added a few additional bass on a Z-Man Evergreen Chatterbait Jack Hammer and a Carolina rig.
The team rotated through a couple of fishing areas and culled up to an estimated 19 pounds before locking back down to Big Lake Harris to finish the last two hours of competition.
“In the last 10 minutes before we were about to check in, Carter caught a 4½-pounder,” Dylan said. “At that point, we thought that we had secured a top-10 finish. We had no idea we had the tournament won at the time – it’s the Harris Chain, and it takes big weights to win here. There very easily could have been a 30-pound bag caught.”
“This is just an indescribable feeling,” Carter added. “For us to win our first major college tournament – it’s pretty special. The Harris Chain is one of the hardest lakes to win a tournament on.”
The top 10 teams finished:
1st: University of North Alabama – Dylan Nutt and Carter Nutt, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 21-12, $2,000
2nd: Lander University – Anderson Jones and Hampton Shull, both of Greenville, S.C., five bass, 20-13, $1,000
3rd: Bethel University – Colten Drawdy, Plant City, Fla., and Hunter Shelton, Cadiz, Ky., five bass, 17-14, $700
4th: Carson-Newman University – Nicholas Dellaporta, Pequannock, N.J., and Drew Pitts, Lutz, Fla., five bass, 17-0, $600
5th: University of Louisiana-Monroe – Kade Hillestad, Grayson, La., and John Kyle Pearce, Frierson, La., five bass, 16-15, $500
6th: LSU-Shreveport – Ian Carter, Bastrop, La., and Levi Thibodaux, Thibodaux , La., five bass, 16-12
7th: University of South Carolina-Union – Jacob Butts, Starr, S.C., and Mark Kershaw, Fort Mill, S.C., five bass, 15-15
8th: University of Tennessee – Joseph Bissing, Libertyville, Ill., and Jackson Paden, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 15-11
9th: Murray State University – Jonah Potts, Albion, Ill., five bass, 15-8
10th: Campbellsville University – Evan Fields, Shelbyville, Ky., and Karsten Raney, London, Ky., five bass, 15-6
A total of 225 teams participated in the event, meaning 27 teams now advance to the College Fishing National Championship. The full list of National Championship Qualifiers and complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Harris Chain of Lakes was hosted by Discover Lake County Florida. The next tournament for MLF College Fishing anglers will be the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Clear Lake, March 8, in Lakeport, California.
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: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, 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 information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, the Discovery Channel, the Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, the World Fishing Network and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).
Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
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