Collegiate Anglers Ready to Cast Off on Lake Dardanelle | Sports Destination Management

Collegiate Anglers Ready to Cast Off on Lake Dardanelle

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Oct 07, 2021

The AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open will be the first major televised Association of Collegiate Anglers event for the 2021-22 season. Set to take place at Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, AR on October 9-10, 2021, this nationally televised event will feature an elite field of over 400 college anglers competing for more than $20,000 in prizes and contingencies, double points towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia, and automatic qualification into the 2022 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops. The two-day, traditional five-bass limit collegiate bass fishing tournament is a high-stakes event that will greatly impact the national rankings in the School of the Year race.

Tournament Details

When: October 9-10, 2021

Where: Lake Dardanelle-Russellville, AR

Coverage: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,and Website

Watch: Outdoor Action TV

**Live weigh-in will be streamed each day on Outdoor Action TV

-Saturday-3:00 PM

-Sunday-1:00 PM

What’s at stake?

Anglers will be competing in this no-entry-fee event for a shot at winning their share of over $20,000 in prizes and contingencies. 1st place overall will earn a spot in the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship, go home with $1,000 in Bass Pro Shops gift cards, $50 in AFTCO gift cards, and win a mix of products to include two HydroWave H2 units, and a Rapala & 13 Fishing prize package. 

View the complete prize list.

Along with the valuable prizes up for grabs, numerous tournament contingencies will be available as well. This includes Yamaha Power Pay, ACA logo contingency, Garmin Tournament Rewards, and other prestigious programs. To view a complete list of discounts and contingencies, visit this link.

In addition to the winning team locking up a spot in the 2022 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops, the 2nd to 5th place finishing teams at the 2021 AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open will also earn automatic qualification into the ACA Championship at Pickwick Lake.

Schools will also be eligible to earn double points towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. 1,250 points will be awarded to 1st place, with point increments decreasing by 10 all of the way down to 125th place. The highest two finishing teams in the Top 125 of the tournament standings for each school will earn points towards the School of the Year race.

Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia

Being that this is the first ACA event of the 2021-22 season, it is also the first double points opportunity for teams looking to surge up the rankings in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.

7 of the top 10 teams in the current rankings will be competing at Lake Dardanelle this weekend.

Adrian College currently holds a commanding lead after the first four months of this year-long race. The team from Michigan has 5,620 points on the season. Auburn University trails in second with 3,670 points, and two-time School of the Year winner McKendree University sits in third with 3,400 points.

View the current School of the Year standings.

The AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open is a key event in the annual chase for Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. This is an opportunity for teams to supplant themselves as a contender, or possibly prove to just be a pretender. In years past, Adrian College enters the AFTCO Open with a commanding lead in the School of the Year race but fails to put together a dominant performance at Lake Dardanelle, opening the door for other teams to enter the race. 

Last season is a key example of how important this tournament is. The University of Montevallo had yet to be ranked number one in the nation entering the 2020 event. Following the conclusion of the tournament, Montevallo took command of the number one ranking in November and marched its way to the school’s first-ever title in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.

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