FLORENCE, AL – The first event of 2023 on the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing series is in the books. The no-entry-fee, ACA major double points Pickwick Slam presented by Evolution Fishing saw over 200 of college fishing’s top teams compete for two days on Pickwick and Wilson Lakes in Florence, AL, and awarded over $20,000 in prizes & contingencies. Charlie Wright & Logan Plueger took home first place honors with a two-day total weight of 43.83 pounds. Tyler Finley & Lane Lassiter from Top 25 ranked University of North Alabama claimed second, and Montevallo anglers Miller Dowling & Parker O’Bryan finished in third.
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Each of the Top 10 teams in the final tournament standings automatically qualify as that exact angler pairing for the 2023 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, SC.
Charlie Wright & Logan Plueger from number one ranked University of Montevallo entered Day 2 in first place after weighing in 21.74 pounds on the first day of tournament competition. The duo improved on their Day 1 weight by bringing in 22.09 pounds on the final day. For two days, Wright & Plueger weighed in a total of 43.83 pounds. That total was good enough to best the next highest finishing team by more than five pounds.
By winning this ACA no-entry-fee event, Wright & Plueger earned over $4,500 in prizes and contingencies. Those prizes include a $1,000 Bass Pro Shops gift card, $1,000 Garmin credit, 10” Bob’s Machine Shop jack plate, two Evolution Fishing tackle backpacks, two 13 Fishing Concept A reels, and more. The Montevallo anglers also claimed the ACA logo contingency of $500. Along with the valuable prizes and contingencies, the pair’s first place finish earned them 1,750 points to count towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.
Claiming second place at the nationally-televised Pickwick Slam presented by Evolution Fishing is Tyler Finley & Lane Lassiter from Top 25 ranked University of North Alabama. The local duo from the host city of Florence, AL found themselves in 13th place after Day 1 with a weight of 16.87 pounds. Finley & Lassiter improved upon their weight drastically by bringing in 21.07 pounds on the final day. Combined with their Day 1 weight, the UNA anglers finished the event with a total weight of 37.94 pounds. This second place victory earned them a $800 Bass Pro Shops gift card, two Evolution Fishing tackle backpacks, two 13 Fishing Concept A reels, and more. Second place total payout was valued at over $1,600.
Finishing the event in third place are Miller Dowling & Parker O’Bryan, also from number one ranked University of Montevallo. The team moved up from eighth on Day 1 to finish the event in the Top 3. Bringing in 20.45 pounds on Day 2, Dowling & O’Bryan finished with a total weight of 37.92 pounds. Third place paid out over $1,400 in prizes. Dowling also claimed the $500 Garmin Tournament Rewards by being the highest-finishing Garmin user. On top of the prizes and contingencies, third place paid out 1,730 points towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.
The University of Montevallo earned the most points of any team competing in the Pickwick Slam presented by Evolution Fishing. The two Top 3 finishes combined for a total of 3,480 points to go towards the school’s season total. Entering the event in first place with a lead of over 3,000 points, Montevallo’s gap will widen over second place. The ACA will publish an updated standings for the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia this upcoming week.
The Association of Collegiate Anglers would like to extend a special thanks to all of its series partners for their support of these college anglers, and the host site of Florence, AL for their help and hospitality this week.
