Auburn duo maximizes offshore bites to take Day 1 lead at Bassmaster College Series Championship on Pickwick Lake

Hayden Marbut and Tucker Smith of Auburn University are leading after Day 1 of the Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship at Pickwick Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops with 20 pounds, 8 ounces. 

Photo by Chase Sansom/B.A.S.S.

August 10, 2023

Auburn duo maximizes offshore bites to take Day 1 lead at Bassmaster College Series Championship on Pickwick Lake

COUNCE, Tenn. — Taking advantage of the increase in current generation, the Auburn University duo of Tucker Smith and Hayden Marbut claimed the Day 1 lead at the 2023 Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship at Pickwick Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops by catching a limit of largemouth weighing 20 pounds, 8 ounces.

They hold a 9-ounce lead over Missouri State’s Aric Szambelan and Tyler Flacke, who fell just an ounce shy of breaking the 20-pound mark. Hayden Pirman and Luke Chaddock of West Virginia University are third with 19-9.

In 2020, Smith and Marbut were crowned Bassmaster High School National Champions on Kentucky Lake, leading that event from start to finish. Now, they have teamed up again at Auburn and continue to show they are a winning combination.

“It would be really cool to win both,” Marbut said. “We still have a lot of fishing left to do. We have two more days.”

So far, Pickwick has fished better than many teams had expected. Five bags over 19 pounds hit the scales on the opening day, and if the Top 12 cut was made today, Carson-Newman’s Dylan May and Carson Palmer would be the final team in with 16-15.

The improved numbers likely have a lot to do with the influx of rain from heavy thunderstorms that have moved through the area the last few days.

“(The Tennessee Valley Authority) was pulling about 30,000 (cubic feet per second) all week and they are pulling 50,000 today and are supposed to pull 55,000 tomorrow,” Marbut commented.

While it looked good on paper, there were plenty of lulls throughout the day for the Auburn team. Of the 30 areas they fished, only three produced bites. Still, Smith said the duo landed the majority of their weight by 9 a.m.

“We bounced around and hit a bunch of places, but it was tough during the midday,” Smith said. “We made one stop at the end of the day and caught a big one.”

Fishing mainly offshore ledges, the duo has found schools in about 12 feet of water all the way out to 20 feet of water. Of those schools, they said three are better than the rest, one in shallow water and the other two deep.

To catch their bass, they have been rotating through the standard ledge-fishing arsenal, baits like deeper-diving crankbaits, swimbaits and jigs.

“We have some that not everyone found,” Marbut said. “We scanned the whole practice and looked for some sneakier stuff that not everyone would be on.”

Using forward-facing sonar, Marbut and Smith have noticed most of their bass have been relating to the bottom of the ledge. Many of their spots don’t have baitfish around — and when a ball of shad does show up, it scatters the bass.

“We’ll see some bait come over the top of them and the bass will start chasing them. It kind of pulls them off the place, so it’s not really the best,” Smith said.

It was a slow start for Szambelan and Flacke. But when showers moved out of the area around midday, the bass began to bite and the Missouri State duo was able to take advantage.

“We stayed calm, kept our heads up and kept fishing,” Flacke said. “We had our final bag around 1.”

Similar to Smith and Marbut, Szambelan and Flacke are focusing on offshore ledges, finding more bass in the 12- to 15-foot range. A couple of baits, including a drop shot and small swimbait, produced most of their weight.

“We have a handful of spots, but they are all getting pressured by a bunch of different guys,” Szambelan said. “We found seven schools in practice. They were pretty good when we found them, but we were only able to hit one or two today.”

Forward-facing sonar has helped them pick off some of the bass that are suspended or roaming. Szambelan said it has been about 50/50 as to whether the bass were set up on the bottom or suspended.

While it didn’t go exactly as they planned, Pirman and Chaddock caught their 19-9 Day 1 limit in areas where they found success during practice.

After a lull, the West Virginia duo discovered a new pattern and was able to make a couple of key culls. They switched between deep and shallow areas and power fished with a couple of baits.

With more sun in the forecast Friday, they hope the secondary pattern will hold up.

Cole and Clay Taylor from Lander University in South Carolina caught a 7-12 largemouth to take Big Bass of the Day honors.

The full field will take off from Pickwick Landing State Park at 6 a.m. CT and return at 2 p.m. for weigh-in. The field will be cut to the Top 12 after the Day 2 weigh-in. Full coverage will be available on Bassmaster.com.

The tournament is being hosted by Tour Hardin County.

2023 Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship at Pickwick Lakepresented by Bass Pro Shops 8/10-8/12Pickwick Lake, Counce  TN.(BOATER) Standings Day 1

    Angler                                       Club/School                       Pts

1.  Hayden Marbut – Tucker Smith                 Auburn University                   250  Day 1: 5   20-08   Total:   5  20-082.  Aric Szambelan – Tyler Flacke                Missouri State University           249  Day 1: 5   19-15   Total:   5  19-153.  Hayden Pirman – Luke Chaddock                West Virginia University            248  Day 1: 5   19-09   Total:   5  19-094.  Kyle Zainitzer – Avery Whitwell              University of North Alabama         247  Day 1: 5   19-08   Total:   5  19-085.  Chris Baker – Elijah Kelley                  Kentucky Christian University       246  Day 1: 5   19-07   Total:   5  19-076.  Cole Taylor – Clay Taylor                    Lander University                   245  Day 1: 4   18-12   Total:   4  18-127.  Matthew Cummings – Levi Mullins              Bethel University                   244  Day 1: 5   18-05   Total:   5  18-057.  Easton Fothergill – Nick Dumke               University of Montevallo            244  Day 1: 5   18-05   Total:   5  18-059.  Tyler Campbell – Parker Guy                  Emmanuel University                 242  Day 1: 5   17-13   Total:   5  17-1310. Joey Bissing – Jackson Paden                 University of Tennessee             241  Day 1: 5   17-12   Total:   5  17-1211. Brody Robison – Jack Alexander               University of Montevallo            240  Day 1: 5   17-08   Total:   5  17-0812. Dylan May – Carson Palmer                    Carson-Newman University            239  Day 1: 5   16-15   Total:   5  16-1513. Brandon Martin – Cole Holloway               Emmanuel University                 238  Day 1: 5   16-07   Total:   5  16-0714. TJ McKenzie – Seth Jenkins                   Emmanuel University                 237  Day 1: 5   16-05   Total:   5  16-0514. Hunter Suchsland – Cade Ludwig               University of Nebraska-Lincoln      237  Day 1: 5   16-05   Total:   5  16-0516. Dalton DeFelice – Connor Tonkel              Southwestern Michigan College       235  Day 1: 5   16-02   Total:   5  16-0217. Will Oberman – Wil Rigdon                    Campbellsville University           234  Day 1: 5   16-00   Total:   5  16-0018. Mike Pierlott – Max Pierlott                 UNC Charlotte                       233  Day 1: 5   15-10   Total:   5  15-1019. James Willoughby – Jacob Pfundt              University of Montevallo            232  Day 1: 5   15-09   Total:   5  15-0920. Kaleb Brown – Cole Moulton                   Lander University                   231  Day 1: 5   15-04   Total:   5  15-0421. Dalton Eury – Zeb Roberts                    Catawba Valley Community College    230  Day 1: 5   15-03   Total:   5  15-0322. Tim Herrmann – Justin Botts                  Bryan College                       229  Day 1: 5   15-02   Total:   5  15-0223. Tyler Hudson – Evan Mcnaughton               Western Kentucky University         228  Day 1: 5   15-01   Total:   5  15-0124. Braylon Eggerding –                          Adrian College                      227  Day 1: 4   15-00   Total:   4  15-0025. Nathan Reynolds – Banks Shaw                 University of North Alabama         226  Day 1: 5   14-12   Total:   5  14-1226. Zachary Ward – Easton Bouma                  Drury University                    225  Day 1: 5   14-11   Total:   5  14-1127. Hudson Choquette –                           University of Montevallo            224  Day 1: 5   14-10   Total:   5  14-1028. Tripp Bowman – Matthew Nesbit                LSU – Shreveport                    223  Day 1: 5   14-09   Total:   5  14-0929. Drake Hemby – Ewing Minor                    Carson-Newman University            222  Day 1: 5   14-09   Total:   5  14-0930. Jacob Butts – Mark Kershaw-Klara             USC Union                           221  Day 1: 5   14-07   Total:   5  14-0730. Trey Schroeder – Lane Stephens               McKendree University                221  Day 1: 5   14-07   Total:   5  14-0732. Seth Slanker – Jackson Swisher               Florida Gateway College             219  Day 1: 5   14-07   Total:   5  14-0733. Adrian Urso – Cole Hadlock                   Murray State University             218  Day 1: 5   14-06   Total:   5  14-0634. Beau Browning – Drake Sturgill               University of Montevallo            217  Day 1: 5   14-04   Total:   5  14-0435. Jared Hubbard – Riley Hendricks              Lander University                   216  Day 1: 5   14-04   Total:   5  14-0436. Blake Bullock – John Mark Berry              Blue Mountain Christian Universi    215  Day 1: 5   14-01   Total:   5  14-0137. Szymon Piton – Gavin Clevenger               Carson-Newman University            214  Day 1: 5   14-00   Total:   5  14-0038. Merrick Diaz – Cade Hayford                  Campbellsville University           213  Day 1: 5   13-14   Total:   5  13-1438. Grant Williams – Nathan MacDonald            Mississippi State University        213  Day 1: 5   13-14   Total:   5  13-1440. Lane Clark – Adam Seagle                     Erskine College                     211  Day 1: 5   13-12   Total:   5  13-1240. Noah Trant – Evan Howe                       Northwestern State University       211  Day 1: 5   13-12   Total:   5  13-1242. Andrew Ready – Harley Collins                Webber International University     209  Day 1: 5   13-09   Total:   5  13-0943. Mason Hoke – Jayce Garrison                  Sam Houston State University        208  Day 1: 5   13-08   Total:   5  13-0844. Smith McGregor – Ben Ivey                    University of North Alabama         207  Day 1: 5   13-01   Total:   5  13-0145. Jordan Brewer – Sam Harvey                   Auburn University                   206  Day 1: 5   12-15   Total:   5  12-1545. Sam Hanggi – Sam Hoesley                     Auburn University                   206  Day 1: 5   12-15   Total:   5  12-1547. Ben Brockwell –                              Kentucky Christian University       204  Day 1: 5   12-14   Total:   5  12-1447. Reese Walters – Garrett Walters              University of Alabama               204  Day 1: 5   12-14   Total:   5  12-1449. Tallis Morrison – Jonathan Hanna             Erskine College                     202  Day 1: 5   12-10   Total:   5  12-1050. Aaron Jagdfeld – Elliot Wielgopolski         Adrian College                      201  Day 1: 4   12-08   Total:   4  12-0851. Dylan Nutt – Carter Nutt                     University of North Alabama         200  Day 1: 5   12-01   Total:   5  12-0151. Austin Parr – Hunter White                   Erskine College                     200  Day 1: 5   12-01   Total:   5  12-0153. Evan Sutton – Grant Olsen                    McKendree University                198  Day 1: 5   11-11   Total:   5  11-1154. Will Ahnen – Caleb Knoll                     University of Wisconsin-La Cross    197  Day 1: 5   11-10   Total:   5  11-1054. Dylan Fogarty – Hunter Fillmore              Bethel University                   197  Day 1: 5   11-10   Total:   5  11-1056. Henry Mcpherson – Matthew German             University of Alabama               195  Day 1: 4   11-05   Total:   4  11-0557. Nate Triplett – Cy Lambert                   University of North Alabama         194  Day 1: 5   11-04   Total:   5  11-0458. Jaxson Freeman – Maxwell Trotter             McKendree University                193  Day 1: 5   11-03   Total:   5  11-0359. Noah Vanderwall – Daniel Borrousch           Purdue University                   192  Day 1: 5   10-14   Total:   5  10-1460. Braden Cox – Joel Berelsman                  Ohio State University               191  Day 1: 5   10-13   Total:   5  10-1361. Hunter Townsend – Jonathan Wehner Jr         James Madison University            190  Day 1: 5   10-10   Total:   5  10-1062. Merritt Arnold – Chance Schwartz             University of Montevallo            189  Day 1: 3   10-10   Total:   3  10-1063. William Tew – Brayden Nichols                LSU – Shreveport                    188  Day 1: 5   10-08   Total:   5  10-0864. Kyle Workman – Evan Barker                   Campbellsville University           187  Day 1: 4   10-08   Total:   4  10-0865. Anderson Jones – Max Muzones                 Lander University                   186  Day 1: 4   10-06   Total:   4  10-0666. Kaden Proffitt – Cason Ragsdale              East Texas Baptist University       185  Day 1: 4   10-05   Total:   4  10-0567. Jeremy Monda – Bryson O’steen                Florida Gateway College             184  Day 1: 5   10-04   Total:   5  10-0468. Turner Hart – Summer Dees                    Bryan College                       183  Day 1: 4   10-02   Total:   4  10-0269. Sam Smith – Connor Jacob                     Auburn University                   182  Day 1: 4   09-14   Total:   4  09-1470. Corey Yaden – Caleb Barrow                   Brewton-Parker College              181  Day 1: 3   09-12   Total:   3  09-1271. Riley Faulkner – Cole Rankin                 Carson-Newman University            180  Day 1: 3   09-11   Total:   3  09-1172. Stevie Mills – Brady Duncan                  Carson-Newman University            179  Day 1: 4   09-08   Total:   4  09-0872. Jackson Smith – Sawyer Williams              Bethel University                   179  Day 1: 4   09-08   Total:   4  09-0874. Andrew Blanton – Jamison Bagwell             Lander University                   177  Day 1: 4   09-07   Total:   4  09-0775. Ryan Park – Sam Niemeyer                     Murray State University             176  Day 1: 4   09-06   Total:   4  09-0676. Tommy Dunaway – Seth Jones                   Florida Gateway College             175  Day 1: 5   09-05   Total:   5  09-0577. TJ Edwards Jr –                              Blue Mountain Christian Universi    174  Day 1: 2   09-05   Total:   2  09-0578. Bryant Martin – Luke Batts                   LSU – Shreveport                    173  Day 1: 4   09-02   Total:   4  09-0279. Hayden Gaddis – Ben Cully                    Carson-Newman University            172  Day 1: 4   09-01   Total:   4  09-0179. James Gillis – Blake Richards                Clarkson University                 172  Day 1: 4   09-01   Total:   4  09-0181. Dylan Akins – Chase Carey                    Emmanuel University                 170  Day 1: 4   09-00   Total:   4  09-0082. Chase Hubble – Brent May                     University of Florida               169  Day 1: 3   07-11   Total:   3  07-1183. Evan Fields –                                Campbellsville University           168  Day 1: 3   07-10   Total:   3  07-1084. Peyton Harris – Dalton Head                  University of Montevallo            167  Day 1: 3   07-08   Total:   3  07-0885. Tyler Cory – Scott Sledge                    University of Montevallo            166  Day 1: 4   07-05   Total:   4  07-0586. Connor Cartmell – Andrew Vereen              Coastal Carolina University         165  Day 1: 2   07-02   Total:   2  07-0287. Colby Carrier – Justin Frey                  Bethel University                   164  Day 1: 3   06-15   Total:   3  06-1588. Nicholas Holtgrave – Colsyn Head             McKendree University                163  Day 1: 2   06-13   Total:   2  06-1389. Caleb Dachenhaus – Sam Shoemaker             Adrian College                      162  Day 1: 3   06-10   Total:   3  06-1090. Jake Thornbury – Morgan Miracle              Campbellsville University           161  Day 1: 2   06-06   Total:   2  06-0691. Braden Fairbanks –                           Kentucky Christian University       160  Day 1: 2   06-03   Total:   2  06-0392. Jonah Potts – Drew Fromm                     Wabash Valley College               159  Day 1: 3   06-01   Total:   3  06-0193. Nate Kimberling – Matt Kavanaugh             University of Idaho                 158  Day 1: 3   05-13   Total:   3  05-1394. Hunter McClaskey – Landon Lawson             King University                     157  Day 1: 2   05-13   Total:   2  05-1395. Bennett Slinkard – Carty Shoen               Auburn University                   156  Day 1: 2   05-12   Total:   2  05-1296. Brenton Godwin – Hunter Odom                 University of Montevallo            155  Day 1: 2   05-11   Total:   2  05-1196. Cabe Mackey – William Hammond                Catawba Valley Community College    155  Day 1: 2   05-11   Total:   2  05-1196. Gus McLarry – Jared West                     Texas A&M Commerce                  155  Day 1: 2   05-11   Total:   2  05-1199. Levi Thibodaux – Chance Shelby               LSU – Shreveport                    152  Day 1: 2   05-05   Total:   2  05-05100. Luke Glasgow – Logan Barrett                 Mississippi State University        151  Day 1: 2   05-04   Total:   2  05-04101. Ryan Lachniet – Clay Oberman                 Campbellsville University           150  Day 1: 2   05-00   Total:   2  05-00102. Seth Elkins – Dale Hansard                   Jacksonville State University       149  Day 1: 2   04-15   Total:   2  04-15102. Nick Redlin – Benjamin Redlin                University of Wisconsin-Plattevil   149  Day 1: 2   04-15   Total:   2  04-15104. Owen Januszewski – Matt Mosby                Adrian College                      147  Day 1: 2   04-12   Total:   2  04-12105. Landon Surrett – Hampton Shull               Lander University                   146  Day 1: 2   04-09   Total:   2  04-09106. Nathan Lee – Chase Bolden                    University of Wisconsin-Plattevi    145  Day 1: 2   04-02   Total:   2  04-02107. Cole Dodson – Tyler Cain                     University of Montevallo            144  Day 1: 2   04-01   Total:   2  04-01108. Jake Monti – Samuel Dunson                   UNC Charlotte                       143  Day 1: 1   04-00   Total:   1  04-00109. Blake Milligan – Matthew Parrish             Auburn University                   142  Day 1: 2   03-12   Total:   2  03-12110. Brooks Anderson – Max Heaton                 Emmanuel University                 141  Day 1: 1   03-09   Total:   1  03-09110. Garrett Thompson – Ethan Perry               West Virginia University            141  Day 1: 1   03-09   Total:   1  03-09112. Christian Turner – John Gray                 Coastal Carolina University         139  Day 1: 1   03-03   Total:   1  03-03113. Hayden Scott – Jerry Brumbaugh Jr.           Adrian College                      138  Day 1: 1   03-01   Total:   1  03-01114. Colton Hill – Tomas Matual                   McKendree University                137  Day 1: 2   02-15   Total:   2  02-15115. Kyle Simmons – Brett Halstead                Kansas State University             136  Day 1: 1   02-10   Total:   1  02-10116. Eric Wawrzyniak – Dylan Crystaloski          Penn State University               135  Day 1: 1   02-06   Total:   1  02-06117. Garrett Warren – Jake Peck                   Auburn University                   134  Day 1: 1   02-05   Total:   1  02-05118. Fisher Hill – Paris Mccullers                Murray State College                133  Day 1: 1   02-04   Total:   1  02-04119. Jacob Silver –                               Western Carolina University         132  Day 1: 1   02-03   Total:   1  02-03120. Clayton Easter – Trevor Easter               Tarleton State University           131  Day 1: 1   02-02   Total:   1  02-02121. Tyson Verkaik – Carson Kamien                University of Florida               130  Day 1: 1   02-01   Total:   1  02-01122. Jordan Pennington – Andrew Oswalt            University of Montevallo            129  Day 1: 1   02-00   Total:   1  02-00123. Corey Morris – Brayden Mercer                East Texas Baptist University       128  Day 1: 1   01-14   Total:   1  01-14124. Logan Plueger – Charlie Wright               University of Montevallo            127  Day 1: 1   01-11   Total:   1  01-11125. Wes Bailey – Lake Norsworthy                 Blue Mountain Christian Universi      0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00125. Cal Culpepper – Ryan Thomas                  University of Montevallo              0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00125. Mitch Johnson – Gunner Whitaker              Kentucky Christian University         0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00125. Braydon Kelley – Trey McMeen                 East Texas Baptist University         0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00125. Giancarlo Russo –                            Florida Gateway College               0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00125. Myles Steward – Trey Zagrzebski              University of Wisconsin-Stevens       0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00125. Zachary Verbrugge –                          Mohave Community College              0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00———————————————————————–TotalsDay   #Limits    #Fish      Weight 1        60       459      1290-14———————————-          60       459      1290-14

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