Preuett defeats Parker to earn a trip to Lake Hartwell in February
The University of Louisiana at Monroe’s Brett Preuett made up today for all of the tough luck he endured the last several days on the Chatuge Reservoir and surged to a victory at the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Classic Bracket.
The win earned him a coveted spot in the 2015 Bassmaster Classic, slated for Lake Hartwell next February.
“Today is the best day of my life by far, everything just sort of happened for me,” he said. “I had fish hooked with just one hook and landed them, and I got everything in the boat. It was meant to be.
“It’s been a long week. I’ve had hooks in my head, and there have been some long days on the water, but it’s all been worth it,” he said. “We’ve been here for nine or 10 days fishing, and you definitely have to earn it to get here. Every year, every pro is fishing for the chance to compete in the Bassmaster Classic, so to get that opportunity to go is great.”
Preuett relied on a trio of topwater baits for his catch during the Classic Bracket, including a Lucky Craft Sammy, a Triton Mike Bucca Baits Bull Shad and an Academy H2O Express prop bait.
He also caught a few fish on a drop shot rig and Fish Head Spin the first two days of the bracket.
“I was just waiting each day for the schooling to start,” he said. “I had so many hit it and blow up on it and not get hooked, and some that came off each day, but not today. The big ones that ate the bait today got to the boat. With the Lord’s blessing, I fished clean today for the first time.”
Besides the berth in the 2015 Bassmaster Classic, Preuett also won the use of a 2015 Toyota Tundra for a year, a Nitro Z8 with a 250-horsepower Mercury Optimax ProXS, as well as $7,500 from Carhartt to be used as an entry fee for the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens division of his choosing.
Preutt caught five fish for 13-2 on Tuesday, defeating Zach Parker of Bethel University, who turned in five fish for 11-0 pounds.
