Atkins and Costa win CATT Smith Mountain Lake by two ounces

Matt Atkins and Stephen Costa won the Carolina Anglers Team Trail's Oct. 25 tournament on Virginia's Smith Mountain Lake with five bass weighing 19.18 pounds. Their bag included a 5.07-pound largemouth, and the win paid $1,575. CATT's headline gives the total as 19.89 pounds, but its results table and The Bass Cast's report both list 19.18.

The finish was close. Dylan Gauldin and Dakota Nuckols took second with 19.16 pounds and $400. Dylan and Brian Bailey were third with 16.64 pounds and took $750. Trevis and Danny Towe placed fourth with 16.53 pounds, which included the day's big smallmouth at 4.41. Aaron Scott and Shawn Holland were fifth with 15.97 pounds.

Brandon Pritchett, fishing alone, placed sixth with 15.30 pounds, one hundredth ahead of Billy Kohls and Will Petty. Shannon Breeding and Ricky Bomar caught the event's biggest largemouth, a 6.96-pounder.

Thirty-six teams entered, paying $3,600 in entry fees, and CATT paid out $4,095 at the ramp. The trail returns to Smith Mountain Lake on Nov. 1 for another fall qualifier, running 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Photo: Matt Atkins and Stephen Costa with their Smith Mountain Lake bass. Credit: Carolina Anglers Team Trail.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Carolina Anglers Team Trail — CATT Results: Smith Mtn Lake, VA, Oct 25, 2026 (Oct. 26, 2026); also The Bass Cast (Oct. 25, 2026).