Talented college fishing teams from across the country will converge on Lake Norman March 25-26, 2022 for the second stop on the Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops circuit.
Located in the western part of the state, the Catawba River reservoir holds both largemouth and spotted bass, and Bassmaster Elite Series pro Shane LeHew of Catawba, N.C., said he expects both species to play.
“The bass usually bed there around the end of March,” LeHew said. “So, there’s a chance they could be arriving at just the right time for a shallow-water event. That could mean bigger weights than usual.”
The normal pool for Lake Norman is close to 100 feet, but LeHew said the lake has been down over the winter, but it’s back to 96.8 feet now.
Shallow-water success, according to LeHew, will be found fishing shallow-running crankbaits and jigs around rocky banks, docks and some boat ramps that are in the water, while some deep-water success could be found around rock and brushpiles in 17 to 45 feet of water with Ned rigs, spoons and finesse jigs.
The larger fish in Lake Norman tend to live shallower, LeHew said, while schools of smaller spotted bass can be caught in deeper water.
The last College Series event held on Lake Norman in 2019 was won by the Jacksonville State University duo of William Nichols and Jamon Phillips, who weighed in 37 pounds, 15 ounces during the three-day event in late February.
The 2022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops season will feature four two-day regular-season events with the full field fishing both days of the competition. Teams will launch Friday and Saturday at 7:10 a.m. ET from Blythe Landing in Huntersville, N.C., with weigh-in back at Blythe Landing starting at 3:30 p.m.
Full coverage will be available on Bassmaster.com.
The tournament is being hosted by Visit Lake Norman, Visit Charlotte and Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation.
2022 Bassmaster College Series Title Sponsor: Strike King
2022 Bassmaster College Series Presenting Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2022 Bassmaster College Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2022 Bassmaster College Series Premier Sponsors: Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2022 Bassmaster College Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
2022 Bassmaster College Series Youth Sponsors: Shimano, SPRO
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by Mossy Oak Fishing, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Abu Garcia Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Team Championship, Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series powered by TourneyX, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
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