Braylon Eggerding and Lucas Washburn completed an 8-plus-pound comeback on the Kissimmee Chain to secure Adrian College ’ s first ever
College Fishing National
Championship .
PHOTO BY ROB MATSUURA
ABU GARCIA COLLEGE FISHING PRESENTED BY YETI NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Jan . 9-11
When the Adrian College team of Braylon Eggerding and Lucas Washburn returned to Big Toho Marina for the final weigh-in of the College Fishing National Championship on Florida ’ s Kissimmee Chain , they thought they ’ d let victory slip away . The duo put together a strong second day in the weather-shortened event , but after starting 8 pounds , 9 ounces back of the leaders , they didn ’ t think it would be enough . Eggerding kicked himself over a big one that broke off late in the day .
Turns out , their 23-9 limit was just what they needed . Eggerding and Washburn , who started the day tied for 10th place , watched from the hot seat as each of the final 10 teams weighed in . All fell short of their 42-4 total . They ultimately edged the Campbellsville University duo of Carter Doren and Ryan Lachniet by a single ounce to earn Adrian ’ s first national championship .
Eggerding and Washburn pulled off the comeback by bucking the trend set by the other contenders . Most of the top finishers on Day 1 used forward-facing sonar to target bass with jerkbaits , glide baits and other reaction baits — generally doing so in Lake Toho . However , that bite fizzled
Eggerding ’ s final-day kicker — an 11-7 monster that bit a lipless crankbait — proved to be the difference maker in one of the closest finals in National Championship history .
PHOTO BY ROB MATSUURA under Thursday ’ s chilly , overcast conditions .
The Adrian duo , meanwhile , made the hour-plus run to Lake Kissimmee and employed more traditional Florida methods . They plied lily pads and submerged hydrilla around the mouth of a pocket , targeting fish that were moving up to spawn . Discovering during the tournament that the big fish weren ’ t interested in slow presentations , they triggered bites using moving baits — lipless crankbaits , vibrating jigs , swimming worms .
The lipless crankbait accounted for most of their weight , including a massive , 11-7 kicker . Eggerding said it felt like his bait got hung in a piece of submerged timber — until it started pulling back . After a nerve-wracking fight through the pads , Washburn scooped it into the net . The brute took home Berkley Big Bass honors with ease , weighing 2 ½ pounds more than any other fish caught during the event .
For the win , Adrian received a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard plus $ 10,000 . Eggerding and Washburn , both sophomores , also gained entry into the Toyota Series Championship as pros . Whichever of the two finishes higher at Wheeler Lake will earn a berth to REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville .
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