Bethel University’s Hunter Fillmore Takes Day 1 Overall Lead at Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley
Category: article
Sep 20th, 2020 by Keith Worrall
Modified Sep 20th, 2020 at 12:29 PM
Bethel University’s Hunter Fillmore Takes Day 1 Overall Lead at Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley
PARIS, TN (September 19, 2020) – Day 1 of the 2020 Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley saw a ton of fish brought to the scales at Paris Landing State Park on the shores of Kentucky Lake. The action started fast and furious immediately following take off and lasted until the scales closed at 3:00 PM for the end of Session 4 presented by Garmin. Kentucky Lake kicked out boat loads of fish in the 2.5 – 4 pound class range to jumpstart the Association of Collegiate Anglers’ first major event of the season. Anglers caught fish on a variety of baits, securing valuable points towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia and cashing in on tens of thousands in prizes.
Bailey Bleser started the morning by winning Session 1 presented by Wiley X with a largemouth bass weighing 4.55 pounds. “My emotions when catching the fish was, honestly, mostly shock and nerves as it literally ate my bait at my feet,” explained Bleser. “Once it was in the net it was all high fives and laughs. We knew it was a Kentucky lake giant.” That Kentucky Lake giant netted the McKendree University angler a $300 Bass Pro Shops gift card and a pair of Wiley X ‘Captivate’ sunglasses.
Next up was Session 2 presented by HydroWave. Griffin Fernandes from Adrian College took the session victory with a bass weighing 3.96 pounds. Fishing a Secret Lures Big Dummy Stupid Tube along a riprap bank, Fernandes set into a prize winning fish. “We just stayed here close by the ramp for most of the day. The fish bit along the highway bridge about midmorning,” said Fernandes.
One of the busier sessions of the day was Session 3 presented by Bass Pro Shops. There were a total of four fish weighed in over four pounds, with 10th place taking a 2.69 pound fish to claim a prize. Bethel University angler Hunter Fillmore takes home top prize for the hour, a $1,000 Bass Pro Shops gift card, with a 4.87 pound fish.
Topwater proved to be the winning bait again in Session 4 presented by Garmin. Levi Mullins from Bethel University took top honors in the final session of the day with a 4.82 pound largemouth that he caught on a Berkley topwater bait. “We were targeting shad in a pocket,” he explained. “That fish came up and ate a Berkley HighJacker.” The HighJacker is a walking style topwater bait from Berkley. Fillmore cashed in on the final session as he earned a Garmin Panoptix LiveScope System and a $200 Bass Pro Shops Gift Card. A prize total valued at $1,700.