2019 National Championships – Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Championship

Dayton, TN (July 31) – This is the big one, the one with an opportunity to take it all! Team Garrett and Palmer are one of a hundred-plus anglers who fought their way into the final showdown on Lake Chickamauga. " Kyle and I have one thing on our minds, that is to take one day at a time and grind out every opportunity to put bass in the tank,” said John Coble Garrett. The Championship series has critical benchmarks that each team must accomplish. After two days of competition only the top 12 teams with the most weight will make the cut into Saturday’s final elimination day to be crowned Carhartt Bassmaster College National Team Champions.

Unlike other tournaments, the competition doesn’t end there. Next, the final four teams are split and each angler will go into individual bracket eliminations. Everyone’s previous totals are zeroed out. The eight become four; the four becomes two; then a winner-take-all champion is crowned. At the close of the bracket eliminations, the one college angler who put together the most consistent patterns, selected the best bait/rod combination and has exhibited outstanding technical skills will walk away with one of the most prestigious titles in college competition, the 2019 Bassmaster College Classic Champion.

“Bryan College will be a force, for sure. They are good anglers, plus Chick (Lake Chickamauga) is their home turf. With that also comes pressure to perform well,” said Garrett. Bethel teams have competed at Chickamauga in quite a few tournaments and are expected to do well. John Garrett has some added pressure. He would like nothing better than to capture another Bassmaster College Classic Bracket Championship. “I was blessed to win this event my sophomore year in 2017. It truly is a life changing experience. To win my senior year would qualify me into the Bassmaster Classic and entry into Bassmaster Open tournaments and really give me a kick start to the pro season,” said John.

John was determined to graduate college before entering into the professional world of competitive fishing. True to his word, he is graduating this year from Bethel University. “I don’t want to think ahead too much, just going to focus on one day at a time, from take-off to weigh-in. At the end of the day if I’ve fished the best I can, hopefully the results will keep us in striking distance. It’s really easy to get off your game, letting the pressure get to you, second guessing yourself. But for me, I try to lean on the Serenity Prayer to keep me calm and focused. God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference,” said John Coble Garrett.

Where: Lake Chickamauga, Dayton, TN
What: 2019 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Championship
Date: August 1-3, 2019
Take-off: 6:40 am Dayton Boat Dock
Weigh-in: 3:00 pm Point Park