COLUMBUS — Professional angler Trey Schroeder won the Bassmaster Open at Tombigbee River on Friday, registering a total weight of 42 pounds and 12 ounces to lift the trophy and take home the grand prize of $40,000.
Schroeder held a narrow lead after two days and beat out 30-year veteran Stephen Browning by just eight ounces in the final weigh-in.
“I didn’t think there was a chance,” Schroeder said through tears on the podium after the win.
Schroeder was the only one in the Top 5 who didn’t submit five fish for the final day, but he trusted his instinct with a big bass he caught with the clock ticking down to the final minutes.
“I didn’t even weigh a fish today,” he said. “I thought if it was meant to be, it’s meant to be. Man, when I didn’t have five fish, I was starting to kick myself. We grinded it out until the last second, I caught the last 4-pounder at 1 o’clock, and that was the tournament.”
There was a “hot seat” next to the weigh-in podium for whoever held the lead as each bag was weighed. 3rd place angler Bo Thomas was first up and stayed in the hot seat through two more anglers before Browning took his place, and Schroeder never took a seat himself as the last to weigh their bag.
Browning, who is in his 30th year of fishing with Bassmaster, finished in third the last time the series came to Columbus. He made sure he gave it everything he had this time, catching his last fish with just 15 minutes to go.
“I’ll tell you one thing, I left it right out there on that Tombigbee waterway,” Browning said after his weigh-in. “Last time, I let one slip away, and I didn’t want that to happen again.”
The competition field of 155 featured the best of the best in the Bassmaster Pro Series, with representatives from across the United States and across the globe.
“We have over 20 states represented, three foreign countries,” Bassmaster Executive Director of Tournaments Hank Weldon told The Dispatch. “It’s challenging, but I’m always so impressed seeing all walks of life compete in these tournaments. It shows how big and worldwide bass fishing is.”
Weldon took his time thanking the Columbus community for their hospitality and the Army Corps of Engineers who manage the locks on the river, who gave the anglers priority this week. He promised it won’t be another 21 years before Bassmaster returns to these waters.
The field narrowed down to just 10 after Thursday, though anglers ranked 11 through 45 won checks of $2000 or more for their efforts.
Four local anglers came away with checks for Top 45 finishes, and two just missed out on the Top 10 cut after two days on the water. Jefferey Davis of Steens came in 12th, Robert Johnson of Maben, 15th, Clint Pegg of Caledonia, 27th and Timmy Ming of Louisville, 29th.
Also in the field were Starkville native Lance Jackson, who finished 125th, and Columbus native David Dove, who finished 129th.
“They obviously took advantage of us being here for the first time in 20 years, and it showcases the caliber of anglers from this area,” Weldon said of the local competitors. “They can compete, and I promise you this, the angler field that is here is some of the best in the world, and they’re showing they can compete right there with them.”
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