Bantam Anglers Catch Division Title

The USC Union Anglers wrapped up a record season by qualifying for the College Bassmaster Classic Bracket on August 25. The team of Tanner Hadden and Caleb Hudson will compete to make the Bassmaster Classic September 27 – 30 on Tim Ford Lake in Winchester, TN. These two anglers qualified for the competition by winning the Lunkers Division Trail Anglers of the Year title, for which they received an award and a $1000 dollar prize at the opening of the College Bass National Championship on Aug. 21. The team of Kaleb Butts and Chase Rogers also competed in the championship.

"I am extremely proud of the hustle and the amount of work that these guys put into our team this year," said Head Coach Cameron Coone. "They battled adversity and competed at the highest of levels for college anglers. I've seen these guys fish when the outside weather temps were in the single digits, as well as when it was triple digits; there is no quit in any of these anglers."

Hudson and Hadden say that their favorite catch this season was the 6lb bass that helped them secure the Angler of the Year spots at Sam Rayburn Lake in Texas. The Bantam Anglers have fished in competitions in nine different states this year. Butts and Rogers say that their most memorable competition was their big comeback at Lake Saginaw in Michigan. "We were way down with only 8lbs on the first day, but we moved up on the second day because we were able to fish in the big water."

"We are so grateful for the support of the school because it allows us to compete at such a high level," said Rogers. The team ranked 23rd out of 400+ schools this year, but they hope to do even better next year.  "We're looking forward to a bigger team and we're excited to fish new lakes."

Hadden and Hudson say that a lot of knowledge and study goes into their success. "It's not just going out there and casting out, you have to know the history of the lake and have a good knowledge of the boat and the technology that you use while you're out on the water," said Hudson. Rogers says that he and Butts look at contour maps detailing the depth of each lake and consider fish patterns as they prepare for a competition.

On top of fishing and completing their coursework, Hadden and Hudson also own and operate Top Marine Technicians, a marine electronics service in Appling, GA. "This is our first year and we are doing well so far," said Hadden.

"I am also proud of all of the hard work that these anglers put into the classroom this past season. It's not easy trying to juggle a full workload, a class load, and a full college-tournament load," said Coone. "We are excited to make the College Bracket for the 1st time in team history, and we are thrilled with our team ranking this past season. We are looking forward to the next few weeks."

The College Bassmaster Bracket will be televised on Bassmaster Live and FOX Sports, tune in to watch the Bantam Anglers team of Tanner Hadden and Caleb Hudson on starting on Sept. 27!