Arkansas Tech’s Dustin Huggins and Evan Barnes own sole possession of first place after day one of the 2011 Mercury College BASS West Super Regional on Lake Dardanelle in Russellville.
Huggins (photographed, right) and Barnes (photographed, left) caught the limit of five fish on Thursday and weighed them in at 16 pounds, 3 ounces. They stand more than two pounds clear of the 36-team field entering the final day of competition on Friday.
Seventy-two anglers representing 22 universities and colleges from around the region are competing this week for a berth in the 2011 College BASS National Championship, which will be held July 7-9 in Little Rock.
Huggins and Barnes, who are coming off a 10th-place finish in the 2011 U.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship over the Memorial Day weekend, were not the only Arkansas Tech fishermen to leverage their home-lake advantage on Thursday.
Arkansas Tech’s Evan Smith and Jake Jacobs returned a full bag of five fish weighing 13 pounds, 4 ounces to stand in third place.
Spencer Grace and Jared Allen of Arkansas Tech are in ninth place after putting 10 pounds, 2 ounces on the scales Thursday afternoon. Grace and Allen also reached the limit of five fish.
Tech’s Trevor Graddy and Roy Roberts were the final men on stage following day one on Lake Dardanelle. They brought in a bag with four fish weighing 8 pounds, 7 ounces to take 14th place.
Click here to view complete standings from the Mercury College BASS West Super Regional.
Click here to view the final-day weigh-in live at 2:45 p.m. on Friday.
]]>
