COLUMBIA, S.C. – The LSU Shreveport fishing pair of Levi Thibodaux and Miles Smith was right where they wanted to be after two days of the Major League Fishing Collegiate Championships on Lake Murray.
The Pilots led the championship field with more than 48 pounds of bass caught, but a shift in the weather and fishing patterns dampened the third and final day.
Thibodaux and Smith finished 10th after hauling in 13 pounds, four ounces on four bass, finishing with 61-6.
“Their spots held up the first two days, but the last day started off at 25 degrees and was the coldest morning by far in the practice sessions and the tournament itself,” said LSUS fishing coach Charles Thompson. “These guys are two of the best collegiate anglers out there, and they searched far and wide for the fish.
“We didn’t think that South Carolina bass would react that much to one cold morning. If this is Florida, those fish aren’t used to the cold as much. But even with that, if they can bring in just one more keeper fish on the last day, we’re talking about a top-five finish instead of 10th.”
Smith and Thibodaux hauled in 26-3 and 21-15 on the first two days, the first day being the second-biggest catch of the tournament on any day.
This tournament was both anglers’ first experience on Lake Murray, and they took a crash course in the lake during practice sessions to bring about early-morning success on the first two days.
“We never got a big bite all day (Friday on Day 2), as crazy as that sounds for catching almost 22 pounds,” Thibodaux said in an interview with Major League Fishing. “Everything we caught was pretty much cookie cutters, 4 to 4 1/2 pounds. We caught a bunch of fish – maybe 30 bass – but (Thursday on Day 1) we had a 6-pounder and a couple of 5-pounders.”
Lander University’s Matthew Knopp and Logan Russell sacked 23-10 on Saturday and won the crown with a total of 70-10.
Thompson applauded the performance from Thibodaux and Smith, noting these two guys headed up from Florida after fishing the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit (where Smith finished 30th) this past week.
“They had a very good tournament, and they took care of business,” Thompson said. “As a program, we’re used to putting more than two boats in a championship like this, so it’s a challenge to the other guys to qualify for this event next year.
“It’s a missed opportunity to have a boat in the top 10 but not have the numbers to score more points as a team.”
Mason McCormick was the only other LSUS angler in the competition, and he started quickly with a 19-6 on the opening day fishing by himself.
But a 6-3 on the second day ended his tournament, where he finished 96th in the 151- boat field.
“He did a really nice job because when you’re by yourself, you have to bring the fish to the boat while grabbing the net and getting it in,” Thompson said. “Mason said a lot of his fish came undone on Day 2, and that made a big difference.
“But it’s crazy to think that he can catch basically 20 pounds on the first day and be ranked in the 40s.”
The top two boats score season points for the team, and LSUS will have another chance to score this coming week when the Bassmaster College Series comes to Sam Rayburn Reservoir in East Texas.
LSUS started the month tied for No. 14 in the Association of Collegiate Anglers Bass Pro Shops School of the Year standings, and they’ll try to make their typical spring push up those standings in search of their third straight top-10 finish.
The Pilots placed sixth and seventh, respectively, the past two seasons.
