MCKENZIE, Tenn. - What's the first thing that you do when you return back to campus for your sophomore fall semester? Well, if you're a Bethel University Bass team member, you go fishing.
That is exactly what standout Bethel Angler Cole Pennington did after arriving on campus with his mom on Friday this past week.
Lake Halford in Carroll County is just a short drive from the campus and this lake formally known as The Carroll County One-Thousand-Acre Recreation Lake holds some of the biggest largemouth bass in the state.
The Bethel Bass team has long used this scenic waterway as one of its primary practice lakes and the guys from past Bethel squads have caught some giants while fishing Lake Halford.
Former Bethel student and now professional angler KJ Queen boated several bass during his tenure at Bethel over ten pounds on Lake Halford and teammate Cole Walker caught a bass tipping the scales over twelve pounds on the lake while attending Bethel.
So, it's no surprise to any of the Bethel guys to hear of another big bass coming out of the waters of Lake Halford. But to get to boat a bass of almost ten pounds while having your mom in the boat made for both exciting and special moment for Bethel Sophomore Cole Pennington. "I was really a bit nervous, said Cole, when I set the hook and felt the weight of the fish on the other end of his line. I just knew that I had a fish of a lifetime.
Cole is no stranger to catching big fish. Coming from his home state of Arkansas, Cole has fished lakes that hold big bass including Lake Dardanelle and Lake Bull Shoals since childhood. But a largemouth bass weighing in at close to ten pounds is enough to cause even the most seasoned anglers' adrenaline to flow and your heart to beat faster.
We are very proud of Cole and welcome back all of our student anglers on the Bethel Bass team, said Coach Garry Mason. With our fall season kicking off soon, we have a bright future with anglers such as Cole and others coming back to compete for our team," said Mason.
Coles big Lake Halford bass weighed in at nine pounds and six ounces. Congratulations Cole and welcome back to Bethel University
