For the second year the title sponsor of the College B.A.S.S. fishing series, Carhartt, extended a video contest available to eager collegiate anglers with a Grand Prize of an all-inclusive fishing trip with Carhartt sponsored Elite Series pros Matt and Jordan Lee.
Carhartt invited college anglers to put together short videos showing what Carhartt college fishing meant to them. The anglers were given the duration of their college fishing season to put their submissions together by July 1. Judging by the incredible quality of many of the video submissions you’d have to say the anglers aced this test.
Jacob Smith of Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, AL submitted a short but sweet 1-minute and 28-second video that was chosen by a distinguished panel of judges to be this year’s Grand Prize winner.
Jordan Lee, Matt Lee, Terry Scroggins, and Mark Zona made up the panel of judges and had their work cut out for them. There were a plethora of fantastic video submissions in this year’s contest with four other angler’s videos being chosen to win a special Carhartt apparel prize package. Josh Worth, Andre Vicari, Jeff Ramsey and 2016 video contest champion Tucker Hill all received approximately $750 of Carhartt’s latest and greatest fishing gear for their efforts.
Jacob Smith brought his college fishing partner Miller (Thomas) Spivey along for his Grand Prize trip, which was held on Lake St. Clair immediately following the Advanced Auto Parts Bassmaster Elite series event the last weekend of August.
The two college anglers both took their first plane ride ever from Birmingham, Alabama to Detroit, Michigan in time to make to Lake St. Clair Metropark for championship Sunday. While they both admit they weren’t huge fans of airports or flying, their experiences in the days that followed ensured the trip was well worth it.
Shortly after arriving to the Bassmaster expo site B.A.S.S. social media wizard Sara Frye fixed up Jacob and Miller with the reigns to the Bassmaster SnapChat account. The small town Alabama boys’ excitement grew as they were told they’d be brought up on the Bassmaster Elite Series stage by the one and only Dave Mercer to be interviewed about the contest and their Grand Prize winning video.
The respectful young Wallace State anglers described Championship Sunday as “a dream day” and seemed fully satisfied with being on-site at the B.A.S.S. venue. Their trip was about to get better, however, as Monday and Tuesday following the tournament (8/28 & 8/29) was their chance to board the Lee brothers’ boats and tangle with St. Clair bronze beasts.
St. Clair treated both Jordan and Matt Lee favorably last week as they notched 4th and 5th place finishes, respectively. The college anglers fished with reigning Bassmaster Classic champion Jordan Lee on Monday, and spent Tuesday on the water with his older brother Matt.
The weather was less than perfect both days, with rainstorms on Monday followed by heavy winds and rain on Tuesday. The anglers had to work hard for the bites they got and were all extremely happy to have their new Shoreline Angler Rain Suits keeping them protected from the elements. Fortunately big waves brought with them big smallmouth bass. Both Jordan and Matt put the college anglers on the two biggest bags of smallmouth they had ever caught. Editor’s note: See fishing trip photos.
After the fact both Jacob and Miller were ecstatic with the whole experience. While fishing with the Lee brothers on St. Clair was certainly a highlight, the importance of networking with folks in the industry and meeting Carhartt employees was not lost on the young anglers; showing a maturity beyond their years.
“Man this trip meant a whole lot to us for several reasons,” Smith said. “Not only did we get to catch a bunch of big smallmouth with a couple pros who we idolize, but it was even more special because it was Carhartt putting on this trip. Getting to come up to Detroit to meet several Carhartt workers and the B.A.S.S. tournament staff, was awesome. Carhartt is such a big supporter of college fishing, if it wasn’t for their support guys like Miller and I wouldn’t have the opportunity to compete in college and chase our dreams. We just really appreciate everything they do. From sponsoring tournaments to hosting this contest, the support means a lot.”