Rush Workman | Special Contributor to the Observer
Rush Workman | Special Contributor to the Observer
Rush Workman | Special Contributor to the Observer
LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. — The fishing boats were back on the Lake Murray for Valentine’s Day weekend as several colleges and universities competed at the annual Columbia PFG College Fishing Tournament held from February 12-14, 2026.
Several schools from across the state competed in this tournament which included: Erskine, Clemson, University of South Carolina-Union, and Lander.
There were over a 150 teams that entered the contest that competed for a $43,500 grand prize. The duo of Matthew Knopp and Logan Russell from Lander University took home the grand prize and the top spot. They cauught 15 fish that totaled over 70 pounds in the three-day span. They were also one of two teams from Lander to finsih in the top-10 of the tournament.
Despite not winning the top spot, the University of Montevallo had three teams of two finish inside of the top-five for this competition, including James Dubose and Daylon Milam who walked away with a second place finish and $33,500.