Berlinsky Claims College Classic Bracket, Berth In '26 Classic

CARTER COUNTY, Tenn. — The final day of the Bassmaster College Classic Bracket at Watauga Lake was easily the most stressful day on the water in Tripp Berlinsky’s life. But it resulted in the biggest moment of his young career so far. 

With a final day limit weighing 17 pounds, 11 ounces, Berlinsky became the first University of North Alabama angler to win the prestigious title, besting his UNA partner Bryce Dimauro by 2-5 to earn a spot in the 2026 Bassmaster Classic. He also earned paid entry into the 2026 Bassmaster Opens and will have the use of a fully-rigged Toyota Tundra and Nitro Boat for the season. 

“I’m not sure it has fully hit me yet. I’m really stoked,” Berlinsky said. “I still don’t really believe I’m going to the Classic. I’m so honored to be a part of that. It is crazy to think that me in college is going to fish the biggest tournament in fishing. It feels like an idea, not reality.”

Throughout the week in east Tennessee, Berlinsky focused on several shallow-water zones where big smallmouth were feeding on crawfish and bluegill. Most of the bass he caught were around a clay bottom with a mix of rock in less than 10 feet of water. 

“I spent 99 percent of my time fishing,” he said. “I didn’t run around a whole lot. I fished about a 3-mile stretch and picked apart about 80 percent of that bank.”

After starting the week with 20 rods on the deck, two baits caught the majority of his bass the final few days of competition. A 5.25- and 6.75-inch alewife-colored Beast Coast Seduce Minnow rigged on a 3/16-ounce Picasso jighead was his best presentation. Using forward-facing sonar, he could see the smallies chase down his bait. 

He also caught several key bass on a weightless prototype dice bait from Stealth Lures. He rigged it on a No. 1 BKK drop-shot hook. 

“They would come up to the surface to eat it,” Berlinsky said. “Other bass I would lead them and let them discover the bait. Once they discovered it, they would go crazy.”

From the get-go, Berlinsky found himself in the driver’s seat and managed his areas accordingly. Opening the tournament with 19-14 allowed Berlinsky to use the second day as another practice day, landing 15-15 to claim the No. 1 seed in the head-to-head portion of the tournament. Then in the semifinal round, Berlinsky caught 20-10 (the biggest bag of the week) to glide past No. 4 seed Garrett Smith from Lander University. 

The final day, however, was anything but easy. 

“I still saw a lot of fish – the most I’ve seen all week actually – but they could feel the pressure,” Berlinsky explained. “I was mind-blown about what the fish were doing. It seemed like they were hitting the bait with their mouths closed. I had one big bass hit it four times in one cast and never eat it.” 

It took most of the foggy morning for Berlinsky to fill out his initial limit of 13 pounds in his best area. But after catching several smallies that did not help his limit, Berlinsky decided to move to a different stretch of bank, a decision that paid off with several more 3-pounders. 

“That ended up being my saving grace. I made two culls there,” he said. “I left there at 2 o’clock and ran over to my starting spot. I burned around and finally got a 3.44 to eat my bait, which gave me a boost. But I definitely felt I fell short.”

Dimauro struggled as well, but as the day progressed, he was slowly able to chip into Berlinsky’s lead but could not find another kicker to push him into the lead. 

“Bryce is an amazing fisherman, and he did an amazing job this week. He was one fish away and if we had another hour to fish, I think he would have beat me,” Berlinsky said. “It was a bittersweet moment. Obviously, it was the biggest win of my career and provides the biggest opportunities for me. But at the same time, he’s my best friend and it was tough to see him not get that chance.”

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