Locals lead LSUS Fishing to strong finish at ACA championships

Locals lead LSUS Fishing to strong finish at ACA championships

PICKWICK LAKE, Ala. - Local anglers from northwest Louisiana highlighted a strong showing from the LSU Shreveport Fishing team this past weekend at the Association of Collegiate Anglers national championships.

Mason McCormick and Colton Caskey teamed up for a 13^th-place finish in a 197-boat field on Pickwick Lake in northern Alabama.

McCormick and Caskey were sitting in fourth after the first day of the two-day event, bagging 24.24 pounds of bass.

"They caught such huge fish early that first morning that they were practicing for Day 2 at 10 a.m.," said LSUS coach Charles Thompson. "The problem is that the Tennessee River is based on a (very strong) current, and the current fluctuated overnight, and it was very tough getting a bite the second day.

"They were practicing the second half of Day 1 because they knew how difficult things were going to be. So they were running to find spots that looked like what they were seeing that first day."

The pair's Day 2 total was still a respectable 15.90 pounds as weights across the board dropped the second day, finishing with a 40.14 total.

But the bag wasn't enough to challenge for a title.

Both anglers will get another crack next year with McCormick (Captain Shreve High) being a junior and Caskey (Riverdale Academy near Coushatta) just in his freshman campaign.

"It's specifically a testament to Mason because he's had a different partner all three years," Thompson said. "This pairing has worked out really well, and it sets up great for next year.

"With our past success, we're getting some of those elite guys in, and we knew who Colton was before he got here. It's one thing to bring in a guy who has high upside and will mature in the sport - Colton came in mature and is becoming an elite angler."

All six LSUS boats finished in the top half of the championship field.

Sophomore Johnny Hudson and junior Triston Richardson placed 28^th with a 35.51 overall.

The freshmen duo of Carsen Adcock (Haughton High) and Will Powell came in No. 57 with 31.93 pounds.

Other finishers included William Tew/Miles Smith (65^th), Hunter Hamilton/Tyler Morris (91^st) and Caden Williamson/Bryce Distefano (96^th).

Tew is the only angler whose exhausted college eligibility.

While no tournament team scoring exists, Thompson estimates LSUS finished fifth or sixth among teams. That's despite having two boats affected because of motor trouble.

The Pilots entered their final tournament ranked No. 9 for the season, and this championship effort all but solidified a third straight top-10 finish.

"The East Coast has one more tournament, but these boys did what they needed to do," Thompson said. "We created some pretty decent separation with teams who still have one more tournament.

"I'm super proud and impressed to have all six boats finish in the half of a championship tournament. We did leave some points out there this season, and it's something I've told them and something I won't shy away from. But we took care of business in the championship."

College fishing differs from most sports in that there are no divisions separating schools of different sizes and resources.

Thompson prides himself on recruiting regional anglers, even if that means less experience in fishing waters that dominate the college circuit in places like Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Florida.

"We intentionally get guys from this area and this state because if I go get a guy from that area with more familiarity with those bodies of water, I have to pass on a guy from over here," Thompson said. "But we still have a ton of talent, and guys who are increasingly fishing across that country before they get here.

"We feel good about where we're at as a program, continuing to be a top-10 program who also has room to improve, especially with as young as we've been these past two years."