While the weather on Saturday wasn’t ideal for being outside – wet, windy, and chilly – the fishing turned out pretty good at the Carroll County 1000-Acre Recreational Lake during the 2021 Tennessee Bass Nation State Junior Championship.
An estimated 80 three-person teams (two kids and an adult boat captain) were expected to participate, but the weather probably kept many away. Still, around 40 teams did show up, and, in spite of the weather, some pretty big fish were pulled out of the lake.
“The rain and the threat of rain probably hurt that a little bit,” said Carroll County Chamber of Commerce President Brad Hurley. “But this was another chance to showcase the 1000-Acre Recreational Lake, and I think all the young people had a good time.”
The biggest fish caught was a 7.84-pound bass hooked by Zander Acud and Cody Harmon of Riverside.
Taking first place in the tournament for the most weight on a five-fish limit (14,21 pounds) were Cullen Howell and Talen Ashworth of Mt. Pleasant, who had success using a Texas rig in shallow water. Cullen’s father, Rodney Howell served as boat captain.
Teams from Mt. Pleasant racked up the most points for the day at 1,354.
A few local teams did participate, though none of those made it into the top five list of winners.
One of those was the TN Valley team of Wesley Edwards, 10, and Gavin Gray, 11, both of Huntingdon. The two caught four bass during the tournament for a total weight of 5.22 pounds.
Other top tournament winners included:
•Second Place: Jackson Leath and Hudson Clark with 13.24 pounds..
•Third Place: D.J. Johnson and Tristan Stewart of Mt. Pleasant with 13.09 pounds.
•Fourth Place: Adam Schmitz and Konner Allen with 901 Bass Club with 10.38 pounds.
•Carson Howell and Colton Howell of Mt. Pleasant with 8.52 pounds.
