COLUMBIA, S.C. – Everyone is swinging for the fences today in the FLW College Fishing National Championship presented by Lowrance Genesis Insight College Cup, as only ounces separate the top teams among the 10 finalists vying for the crown.

Early reports indicated the morning bite was good for the University of South Carolina, currently in second place, as well as Murray State University, now in ninth place. Both had early limits. Liberty University, the current leader with 36-6, had four fish by midmorning, but one of them was a 5-pound fish.

South Carolina’s Patrick Walters and Gettys Brannon trailed Liberty by 5 ounces after Friday’s weigh-in at the Carolina Baseball Stadium. Oregon State, which reported three fish at 10 o’clock, is in third place (36-0) and Colorado Mesa University (4^th) follows with four fish for about 10 pounds.

By midday, the sun hadn’t broken through the thick cloud cover and the wind was generally calm. Both factors are working against the anglers who are targeting bass foraging on spawning blueback herring.

“When the fish blow up on the herring, it’s just for a second or two,” says Josh Worth of Colorado Mesa. You cast in to them and work it back fast hoping for a reaction strike, but most of our bites have come from just fan casting around the point we’re fishing.”

The Gamecocks have a milk run in the midlake area, and also are targeting herring blowups. Walters and Brannon had their limit by 8:10 a.m., though it was a fairly small limit. Friday, however, the pair culled up to 18 pounds, 11 ounces. Liberty University’s Travis Rulle and Caleb Eppler are fishing main-lake points and small coves in the Dreher Island area of the lake.

The championship weigh-in in Carolina Baseball Stadium begins at 4 p.m. ET, and is accompanied by the free FLW Expo, which includes various family activities and games, as well as sponsor booths and free pizza.