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The Bethel University Bass team of Cole Floyd of Leesburg, Ohio, and Carter McNeil of Abbeville, South Carolina, won the YETI FLW College Fishing event on Lake Seminole (GA) presented by Bass Pro Shops tournament Saturday with a five-bass limit weighing 28 pounds, 1 ounce – the third-largest five-bass limit ever weighed in the 10-year history of FLW College Fishing. The victory earned the Wildcats Bass Team a spot in the 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
"Carter and I have fished quite a few events together, and we've had a couple of second place finishes, but it feels great to finally earn a win," said Floyd, a junior majoring in Business Management. "We were targeting hydrilla in the deep ditches and we had a milk run of six different areas we fished throughout the day."
"Our worst spot in practice actually turned out to be the best spot during the tournament," continued Floyd, who finished second in the Costa FLW Series Central Division in 2017. "It was a long ditch, with two lanes the fish were using as a highway as they were coming in to spawn. We caught around 30 fish, and all of our limit that we weighed in on stage came out of there. We probably caught three 20-pound limits throughout the day, and we were throwing back 4½-pounders."
"We were throwing Strike King Red Eye Shads – I was throwing a craw color and Cole was throwing a bone white," said McNeil, also a junior majoring in business management. "The area had a high population of fish and we'd make long casts and reel it back, then stop and let it sink. Most of the bites came on the fall."
Kyler Chelminiak and Ricky Harris Of Bethel took 2nd place honors with a total weight of 21 pounds six ounces and had the Big Bass of the tournament with a fish weighing over eight pounds.
Coming in at ninth place for the Wildcats was KJ Queen and Brad Ableman with a weight of 17 pounds 3 ounces and just out of the top ten was Bass Cats angler Cody Huff and Garrett Enders with an 11th place finish for the Wildcats.
"This qualifies four teams from Bethel for the 2019 FLW National Championship", said Coach Garry Mason. "Our guys continue to dominate the sport of college bass fishing with their hard work and dedication. Both on and off the water these guys prove that they are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the sport of Bass Fishing."
Also this past weekend Bethel freshman Bass Team member Dax Ewart took 10th place in the Texas Lunker Challenge presented by Mossy Oak. Also team member Tyler Black took 20th place in the tournament out of over two hundred Anglers.
"The two top finishes this past weekend should move the Bethel program back into one of the top spots in the ACA School of the Year rankings," said Mason.
"Both I and Coach Louden are very proud of our team and the great start that they have given Bethel in our quest for a national championship," added Mason.
The top two teams
1st: Bethel University – Cole Floyd of Leesburg, Ohio, and Carter McNeil, Abbeville, S.C., five bass, 28-1,
2nd: Bethel University – Kyler Chelminiak, McKenzie, Tenn., and Ricky Harris, Berea, Ky., five bass, 21-6,
