On Episode 201 of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass Podcast, host Kyle Curry talks with special guest Hunter Bland.  Hunter is a former college angler at the University of Florida.  While fishing at an event in 2017 on Lake Seminole, Hunter and his fellow teammate were involved in a boating accident.  The pair had an unexpected mechanical failure that led to them both being ejected from the boat.  Since the incident, Hunter has partnered with Yamaha, as well as other brands, to travel the country and talk about safe boating practices.  Tune in to this episode to hear Hunter talk about his accident, boating safety, and offer advice to help you be more prepared both on the rood and water.

This episode of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass Podcast marks the 200th!   For going on over four years now, the Association of Collegiate Anglers has been producing this podcast highlighting college fishing and other major news in the fishing industry.  To celebrate the 200th episode, in partnership with the program's title sponsor Rapala & Crush City, the special guest is professional angler Dustin Connell.  Dustin has had a great deal of success in the professional ranks, most recently winning the MLF Bass Pro Tour's Championship title, Redcrest.   Also sponsored by Bass Pro Shops and Triton Boats, Dustin began cutting his teeth out on the college circuits...just like many of the college anglers competing on the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series today!  Tune in to Episode 200 of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass Podcast to hear the complete interview with Dustin!

The guests for this episode of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass Podcast are Harrison Heins & Hunter Slone from Tennessee Tech University.  Harrison & Hunter won the most recent Bassmaster College Series event at Douglas Lake in Tennessee.  The victory earned their team valuable points and moved them up to a tie for 80th in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  Tune in to hear how the anglers caught their winning fish, as well as learn more about the Tennessee Tech University fishing team and their goals for the remainder of the season.

With less than four months remaining in the race for 2023-24 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia, Carson-Newman University is currently the 2nd ranked team in all of collegiate bass fishing.  The team from Tennessee has put together a great season thus far.  With a total of 21,310 points, Carson-Newman is just over 1,000 points behind top ranked Montevallo.  During the 2023-24 season, Carson-Newman achieved a program first by earning a number one ranking in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  The team's goal is to win its first-ever title at the conclusion of this season.  Tune in to this episode of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass Podcast as host Kyle Curry is joined by Carson-Newman anglers Riley Faulkner, Szymon Piton, and Drake Hemby!

Peyton Harris & Dalton Head from top ranked University of Montevallo started off the 2024 season on the Bassmaster College Series with a major victory at Lake Murray in South Carolina.  The pair weighed in a two-day total of 43 pounds 12 ounces to secure the victory, and earn valuable points towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  Montevallo is currently ranked number one in college fishing's only all-encompassing National Rankings system.  The team from Alabama is looking to continue to make history this season as they chase their fourth straight title.  Tune  in to this episode of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass Podcast to hear Peyton & Dalton talk about the victory and much more!

Anderson Jones from 4th ranked Lander University got the victory at Clark Hill Lake for the second event of 2024 on the Bassmaster College Series.  Anderson joins host Kyle Curry on this episode of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass Podcast.  We start by talking to him about the event and how he caught the winning fish.  Following that, Anderson talks about the current season of the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia and what has led Lander University to being ranked 4th.  Then, to wrap up the interview, stay tuned to hear Anderson talk about his journey as an angler and what led him to fish at Lander University.

On this episode of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass Podcast, host Kyle Curry talks with former college angler Emil Wagner.  Emil was recently selected as the AFTCO Bass Boot Camp recruit for this upcoming year.  AFTCO Bass Boot Camp is a nine episode series that will be on the AFTCO YouTube Channel.  Throughout the course of the nine event season on the Bassmaster Opens, Emil will video his entire journey, chronicling what it's like to be a professional angler in pursuit of achieving their dreams and goals out on the tournament trail.  Emil is a former college angler, who participated at Ole Miss.  In this interview, he will talk about his fishing journey, participating in this YouTube series and AFTCO as a brand, as well as much more!

On this episode of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass Podcast, host Kyle Curry talks with Lucas Washburn & Braylon Eggerding.  The two anglers from 12th ranked Adrian College recently won the MLF College Series Championship at Lake Toho with a two-day total of 42 pounds and 4 ounces.   This major victory earned the team 2,000 points to count towards the 2023-24 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  Tune in to this episode to hear about the victory, and learn more about the Adrian College Bass Fishing Team!

Last week, anglers competed in the first major college event of 2024 to count towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  The MLF College Series held an event at the Harris Chain in Florida.  Dylan & Carter Nutt from third ranked University of North Alabama won the tournament with a limit of bass weighing 21 pounds 12 ounces.  Tune in to this episode of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiate Bass Podcast to hear about the team's victory, and what UNA hopes to accomplish this season..

On episode 192 of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass Podcast, host Kyle Curry talks with Carter Nutt, Nathan Reynolds, and Bryce Kistler from 3rd ranked University of North Alabama.  UNA is chasing college fishing history, as they are in pursuit of winning their third title as Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  If they were able to achieve this task, they would become the second team ever to do so (Montevallo: 2021, 2022, 2023).  Tune in to hear from these three anglers as they talk about their team, the season thus far, and what it's like being on the shores of Pickwick Lake in Florence, AL...the host site for the 2024 Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.

The University of Montevallo is currently ranked number one in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  This marks the first point this season in which the three-time defending title winner has been in the top spot.  Montevallo has amassed a season total of 13,270 points, and is roughly 500 points ahead of second ranked Carson-Newman.  On this episode of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass Podcast, host Kyle Curry is joined by Tyler Cory & Easton Fothergill from the University of Montevallo Bass Fishing Team.  Tune in to hear the anglers talk about their current season and the pursuit for finishing the year ranked number one for the fourth straight time.

The AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open was the second event of the 2023-24 season for the Association of Collegiate Anglers on the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series.  Wyatt Pearman & Ridge Rutledge from Top 25 ranked Campbellsville University won with a two-day total of 28.13 pounds.  For their victory, the duo received close to $6,000 in prizes and contingencies, as well as 1,750 points to count towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  On Episode 190 of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass Podcast, host Kyle Curry talks to Pearman & Rutledge about their major victory and how they caught the winning fish!

The special guest for this episode of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass Podcast is Mat Higby from Arkansas Tech University.  Mat, and his fishing partner John Foster Case, won the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open on Lake Dardanelle last year.  Mat joins host Kyle Curry to talk about how the lake is setting up and what the field of more than 460 elite anglers can expect this weekend.  Tune in to hear about the current fishing conditions, implications for the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia, and more as we preview the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open.

The Association of Collegiate Anglers recently contested its first no-entry-fee, nationally televised, double points event of the 2023-24 season on the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series.  Harlan Thomas from Top 10 ranked Murray State University won the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley on Kentucky Lake with a largemouth bass weighing 6.31 pounds.  The victory, combined with another Top 10 overall bass, earned Thomas more than $9,000 in total prizes and contingencies.  Tune in to the latest episode of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass to hear from Thomas as he talks about the major victory, how he caught his fish, and what the win means for Murray State as they pursue their first-ever title in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.

On this episode of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass Podcast, host Kyle Curry talks with Laindree Richardson from Drury University. Laindree started her collegiate fishing career at Wabash Valley College.  Upon completing her Associates Degree, Laindree transferred from WVC to Drury University. This upcoming season, Laindree will be competing for Drury University where she hopes the team will finish high up in the standings for the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia, and to be competitive on the national stage.  Tune in to this episode to hear about the progression of Laindree’s career and what she hopes to accomplish on into the future!

Last weekend, Tucker Smith & Hayden Marbut from nationally ranked Auburn University won the Bassmaster College Series National Championship at Pickwick Lake.  With a three-day total of 53 pounds and 12 ounces, Smith & Marbut secured their second National Championship title of the summer.  Back in May, at Lake Hartwell, the pair won the Association of Collegiate Anglers’ National Championship event, the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.  As one of the first major events of the season, this victory earns Auburn University very valuable points as they enter this season in search of winning their first ever Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  Tune in to hear about it all on this episode of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass Podcast!

On this episode of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass Podcast, host Kyle Curry talks with college angler Blake Tinsley.  Tinsley spent the last several seasons at Winona State and is transferring to McKendree University for this upcoming season.  Tinsley and McKendree University Head Coach Jon Rinderer had met several times out on the college trail last season and that grew into an opportunity for the former Winona State angler to join the two-time Bass Pro Shops School of the Year winner McKendree University.  Tune in to hear about Tinsley's decision to transfer and what he hopes to achieve this upcoming season!

At ICAST 2023, Rapala introduced its new CrushCity soft baits.  Developed from America’s top professional bass anglers, anglers see how versatile and effective these baits are, they will be using them to crush other species on multiple bodies of water all over the country.  With the introduction of five soft baits, Rapala aims to show how defined the soft bait category can be with attention to detail on every bait matching the innovation they have brought to hard baits over the years.  Tune in to this episode of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass Podcast as we talk with professional angler Bob Downey about the introduction of CrushCity.

On Episode 183 of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass Podcast, host Kyle Curry talks with Drake Hemby from 3rd ranked Carson-Newman University.  Drake, along with his teammate Ewing Minor, finished in 2nd place at the 2023 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.  The duo's 2nd place finish helped to contribute to Carson-Newman's triple points opportunity that sealed the team's highest-ever finish in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  Carson-Newman finished the year in 3rd for the final National Rankings of the 2022-23 season.  Tune in to hear about each of these two major accomplishments for the anglers and team!

Two weeks ago, the Association of Collegiate Anglers completed its 18th season on the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series.  With that came the culmination of the race for Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  The University of Montevallo achieved collegiate bass fishing history by becoming the first school to ever win the title three times.  Tune in to this episode of the Rapala #WeAreCollegiateBass Podcast as host Kyle Curry talks with Head Coach William Crawford and Montevallo angler Tyler Cory about the historic victory.