KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Sitting in the top 10 after the first day of the Major League Fishing Championships, the LSUS pair of Tripp Bowman and Matthew Nesbit knew they remained in striking distance.
But the sun hid for most of the final day Thursday, and dropping temperatures and whipping winds made for a much tougher fishing day on Lake Toho, especially for anglers who needed to make up ground.
Bowman and Nesbit finished 15th in the 135-boat event, one of two LSUS tandems to land in the top 30.
The pair totaled 33 pounds and one ounce on 10 fish, bagging 18-05 on the first day and 14-12 on the second day.
“While the temperatures were not necessarily unseasonal for Florida this time of year, because there’ll be cold snaps and winter storms, the problem is that the bite slows down a lot,” said LSUS fishing coach Charles Thompson. “The fish know that they can withstand these two or three days of cold, and it’s going to warm up again, so they lock down.
“Using SONAR, our guys can see the fish follow the bait all the way to the boat, they just didn’t bite much. Tripp and Matthew had a strong enough pattern and were on enough fish that they were able to grind out Thursday (with a 14-12 haul).”
Chance Shelby and Levi Thibodaux placed 26th with a weight of 27-01 – 17-08 the first day and 9-09 on the second day.
Miles Smith, who transferred to LSUS this semester but fished this event under the Nichols banner in which he qualified, placed 34th with a two-day total of 24-09.
The event was supposed to be over three days, but Tuesday was wiped out because of inclement weather and tornado watches.
LSUS is one of eight teams to put at least two pairs in the top 30 in the Abu Garcia College Fishing championship event, further cementing its place as one of the leading programs in the nation.
The Pilots entered this past week No. 13 in the national rankings, and with strong showings at Harris Chain and the MLF Championships, a move into the Top 10 and possibly as high as No. 6 is possible.
“These guys deserve the gratitude and praise,” said Thompson, who is in his fourth season as LSUS’s coach. “We are one of the premier programs out there.
“We’re getting results, and with the way our guys carry themselves and the support we bring from family and friends, we are making a name for ourselves.”
College anglers had to qualify for the event during the 2023 calendar year, and LSUS had one more pair of Brayden Nichols and William Tew compete.
Nichols and Tew rebounded from a difficult first day (3-10 on three fish) to snag 9-09 on the second day with their five-fish limit (13-03 overall).
LSUS continues its season in early February at the Bassmaster College tournament at Clark’s Hill (Ga.).
“These spring tournaments coming up, we’re coming into our wheelhouse on bodies of water that are shallower,” Thompson said. “While we can catch them in the deep water, shallow water is how we like to fish.”
