THAT ’ S A SLAB !
I t ’ s a simple truth that most of us have never had our hands on an 11-pluspound largemouth – safe to say that the “ 11 Pound Club ” is a group with a pretty small list of members . And it ’ s even safer to say that the “ National Championship 11 Pound Club ” is an even more exclusive club . As in , a club of one .
You ’ re looking into the weigh-in bag of Michigan ’ s Adrian College , on the championship day of the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship at Florida ’ s Kissimmee Chain . Adrian sophomores Braylon Eggerding and Lucas Washburn had just finished up a magical day on the Kissimmee Chain , where they had fought tooth and nail to make up for an 8-pound , 9-ounce deficit that hung over their head after Day 1 of the two-day event . The highlight of their day : a bite that , according to Eggerding , felt like his crankbait “ ran into some standing timber .”
That “ standing timber ” turned out to be an 11-pound , 7-ounce gargantuan , a fish that propelled the Bulldogs to 23-9 on the day , and secured them the 2024 National Championship by 1 ounce . Go to page 64 to read the full story .
“ We were going crazy when we finally caught it ,” Eggerding said . Naturally !
It should come as no surprise to anyone peeking into the weigh-in bag that Eggerding ’ s fish is the biggest ever caught in college National Championship history .
PHOTO BY ROB MATSUURA
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 61