Back to Back Classics for Lee Brothers

Matt and Jordan Lee. B.A.S.S. photo by Seigo Saito.

In truth, I probably can't add much that hasn't already been said about Jordan Lee once again making it all the way to the Carhartt College Series Bassmaster Classic Bracket finals and this time winning it. Still, I wanted to offer my congratulations and a few thoughts.

A year ago brothers, teammates and lifelong fishing buddies Matt and Jordan Lee stood side by side on a weigh-in stage in Arkansas, knowing that one would fulfill the dream of competing in the Bassmaster Classic and the other would not. Matt, the older of the two brothers won the Classic bid. Yesterday in Muskegon, Michigan, Jordan stepped up to the same situation, this time standing beside his longtime best friend and another Auburn teammate, Shane Powell, again as the last two standing with a Classic bid on the line. This time Jordan prevailed, and soon after brother Matt joined him on stage to congratulate him and hand over his keys to represent the Auburn University wrapped Toyota Tacoma and  Yamaha 250-powered Skeeter FX20 bass boat that Jordan will drive and fish from for the next year.

It's kind of hard for me to wrap my mind about just what an accomplishment it was for Jordan to make his way all the way back to the bracket finals and win, but a couple of things mentioned on stage yesterday add some perspective. The Auburn fishing team was one of 143 programs in the Carhartt College Series last season, and Jordan was one of more than 600 anglers on those teams.

After a full season of fishing and the series championship on Lake Chatuge, only members of the top four teams from the championship made the Classic Bracket. Those anglers fished head to head in a bracket-style competition, with eight fishing on Friday, four on Saturday and the two that remained on Sunday. For the past two years, the final two standing have been Jordan Lee and an Auburn teammate.

Mighty impressive.

Making the opportunity to fish the Bassmaster Classic even more exciting for Jordan -- if that's possible -- it will be held on Alabama's Lake Guntersville, which is where he and Matt have learned the most about bass fishing and the lake  they consider "home waters."

Jordan said that his primary bait yesterday was a BOOYAH spinnerbait. On Day 1, he brought in the tournament's biggest catch and caught most of his fish on a BOOYAH Poppin' Pad Crasher. He caught the bulk of his fish around docks.

Another Auburn Showdown For Classic Bid

B.A.S.S. photo by Seigo Saito

A year ago, Jordan Lee's final-day battle for a spot in the Bassmaster Classic field was against his brother and Auburn teammate, Matt Lee, and Matt edged him out to fish the Grand Lake Classic. A year later, after a full season of competition against college anglers from all over the country, Jordan Lee has again made it all the way to the final round and will be battling for an opportunity to fish the Classic. This year, instead of fishing against his brother, Lee will fish against his longtime best friend and another Auburn teammate, Shane Powell.

No matter which teammate brings in the best catch from Michigan's Grand River today, the Classic's college representative will again come from Auburn, which is an extra exciting prospect to either angler as the Classic will be held on Alabama's Lake Guntersville.

Today's competition is head-to-head, with weights from the past two days erased, and looking back at the last couple of days tells little about who is most likely to win. Lee had the biggest bag of eight anglers on Day 1 with more than 15 pounds, but conditions changed notably yesterday, and his best Day 1 pattern didn't hold up on Day 2. Had they been competing against each other yesterday, Powell would have won, but only by about a pound.

We'll find out this afternoon at 4:00 eastern. That's when they weigh 'em. You can watch it live on bassmaster.com. And when the college anglers get done, Hank Cherry, Kevin VanDam, Edwin Evers and Cliff Pace will weigh their fish for the All Star championship.

Auburn System Rocks College Series Championship

The Auburn University and Montgomery team of Jacob Frink and Tom Nummy took first place in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series on Lake Chatuge this weekend. B.A.S.S. Photo by Shaye Baker.

Of the fifty-four teams that qualified for this weekend's The Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Championship at Lake Chatuge, two represented Auburn University, and one represented Auburn University at Montgomery. Yesterday, when the field was narrowed to only the top five teams after two days of competition, all three teams from the Auburn system remained. When all the fish from all three days had been weighed, it was the AUB team of Jacob Frink and Tom Nummy who got to hold up the championship trophies.

Members of the top four teams from the championship, AUB, Young Harris College, one of the two Auburn teams and Eastern Washington University, will compete individually in late September in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Bracket Championship to qualify for a spot in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic. It's a head-to-head, bracket-style, elimination event.

Last year's bracket championship finals featured plenty of drama, with two Auburn anglers, brothers Jordan and Matt Lee, competing on the final afternoon for a Classic bid. Matt Lee won and got to represent Auburn University and college anglers in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic. This year Jordan Lee will be among the eight anglers competing for a Classic spot. Matt was part of the Auburn team that finished fifth yesterday and will not be in the bracket championship.

Going back to Auburn's recent prominence in the Carhartt College Series, last year's finalists in the Championship Bracket (Lee brothers) were both from AU, and half the eight in this year's championship will represent AU or AUB. Oh, and the 2014 Bassmaster Classic, it will be held on Lake Guntersville in Alabama.

College Championship: First Day Stories Worlds Apart

B.A.S.S. Photo by Shaye Baker.

The stories of the top teams after one day of competition at the Carhartt College Series Championship couldn't differ much more dramatically. The first-day leaders, Nick Barr and Jarred Walker of Eastern Washington University, traveled farther than any other team to fish Lake Chatuge. Still, they felt right at home in the Georgia mountains because they are used to using finesse strategies in lakes that are far clearer than Lake Chatuge. By way of contrast, the second place team, from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, had never drop-shot fished prior to the practice days earlier this week and are accustomed to fishing heavy tackle in thick cover and at close quarters. Contrasting the distance traveled by the leaders, in third place after one day is the "home team" from Young Harris College, the school that is hosting the event. Also noteworthy, the teams of Auburn angler and defending college champion Matt Lee and his brother Jordan Lee, who is fishing on a different Auburn team, are both within striking distance in 10th and 7th places, respectively, after one day.

The Carhartt College Series Championship is a three-day event. Visit the college home page to keep up with the action.