Enthusiasm builds for FLW College Fishing
Students throughout nation set to don school colors, renew rivalries, compete for inaugural FLW College Fishing National Championship title
MINNEAPOLIS – Beginning in 2009, college students will have an exciting new course to choose from when planning their busy semester schedule – tournament fishing 101. Only in this class, it’s not grades students will be angling for, it’s scholarships, prize money and national bragging rights.
Starting in January, FLW Outdoors is launching the National Guard FLW College Fishing tournament circuit – the most comprehensive, competitive and lucrative collegiate fishing circuit ever unveiled. And just to make sure that students learn the true value of an outdoor education, FLW Outdoors will award a $100,000 prize package to the eventual collegiate national team champion.
To be sure, that’s enough money to keep a college fishing club loaded with bait and tackle for years to come.
“We’re stoked,” said Parker Moran, organizer of California State University-Chico’s fishing club (Start a club). “I’d love to fish the FLW as a pro, but with my money situation I can’t. This (National Guard tournament circuit) is great because they’ll pay us to get there and there’s no entry fee. Whatever we win goes straight back to the club.”
FLW College Fishing overview
FLW Outdoors will provide participating teams with a travel allowance based on the distance they travel to each tournament. Boats are provided. Just get a two-man team together, get to the tournament site and give it your best cast.
“We know a lot of college anglers don’t have boats,” said Kevin Hunt, tournament director. “With us, you just show up and go fishing, and we’ll take care of you.”
That will make it possible for the University of Georgia fishing club, which has 15 members but just one boat, to compete.
“Not having to tow a boat is big,” said Jason Muhlbauer, club president. “Gas money would kill us, so that travel allowance is definitely a plus.”
Georgia already has competed against Tennessee and Alabama in tournaments sponsored by Auburn University. It qualified for the circuit championship but didn’t go.
“It was in Arkansas, and we couldn’t afford it,” Muhlbauer explained.
Hunt said FLW Outdoors’ goal for the college tournaments is to grow the sport of tournament bass fishing and recruit future customers for boats, tackle and automobiles. The National Guard hopes to attract recruits.
“Helping the National Guard grow is a big part of this,” Hunt said.
To date, 48 teams have signed up. Based on school location, teams will be placed in one of five divisions: Northern, Southeast, Central, Western and Texas. Qualifying tournaments are one-day events that will pay $5,000 to the winning club and another $5,000 to the school’s general scholarship fund. Regional tournaments are three-day events at which the winning club gets $25,000 and the school $25,000. The national championship is a three-day event at which the winning club gets $50,000 and the school $50,000.
Entries for the 2009 season will be accepted beginning at 6 p.m. central time on Nov. 10.
Qualifying tournaments take place on Saturday and run in conjunction with the final day of FLW Outdoors’ Stren Series tournaments. Pro anglers who don’t qualify for the final round of the Stren tournament will drive the boats for the students competing in the college tournament. The students will determine fishing locations and operate the trolling motor. Each team will consist of two anglers.
Tournaments are capped at 40 teams, but if 40 different schools don’t sign up, then participating schools can enter more than one team.
“The Western has been our toughest division (to fill),” Hunt said. “We have five teams out there so far. In the Central, Southeast and Texas we’re doing well, and we’re expecting to get more up north, too.”
One of those Northern schools could be the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where student Chris Hunsberger is trying to organize a team.
“Six guys have expressed interest so far,” Hunsberger said. “None of us have done anything but ice-fishing tournaments.”
The top five teams from each of a division’s four qualifying tournaments advance to a three-day regional. The top five teams from each regional tournament – a total of 25 teams – will compete in a three-day championship April 10 at Fort Loudoun-Tellico lakes at Knoxville, Tenn. The national champions will qualify for the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup and a chance at $1 million.
Scoring in all tournaments is determined by the pounds and ounces of each team’s catch. Only largemouth, spotted, redeye or smallmouth bass can be weighed. The limit is five bass per angler, but only the three biggest can be weighed. Minimum length limit is 12 inches.
Hitting that minimum length limit shouldn’t be a problem in Texas, where Texas A & M-Galveston’s fishing club is anxious to hit the water.
“We like how the FLW has set this up,” said Anthony Reed, club president. “It’s great for college students who are just trying to hang in there.”
Mansfield University in Pennsylvania plans to have at least two teams at each Northern Division tournament.
“It’s great because it gives students at small colleges a chance to compete (against bigger schools),” said Christopher Neal of the Mansfield fishing club. “We’ll be there on the Potomac on June 27.”
FLW College Fishing schedule
The 2009 FLW College Fishing schedule:
Northern Division tournaments are scheduled for the Potomac River (June 27), 1,000 Islands (July 18), Lake Champlain (Aug. 29) and Lake Gaston (Sept. 26).
Southeast Division tournaments are scheduled for Lake Okeechobee (Feb. 28), Santee Cooper (May 2), Wheeler Lake (June 6) and Lake Guntersville (Oct. 10).
Central Division tournaments are scheduled for Kentucky-Barkley lakes (May 9), Detroit River (July 25), Mississippi River (Aug. 22) and Lake of the Ozarks (Oct. 3).
Western Division tournaments are scheduled for Clear Lake (Jan. 24 and March 7), Lake Roosevelt (April 18) and the California Delta (May 30).
Texas Division tournaments are scheduled for Falcon Lake (Jan. 17), Sam Rayburn (Mar. 21), Lake Amistad (May 23) and Toledo Bend (Oct. 17).
Links
CollegeFishing.com
Divisions map
Complete schedule
How to start a club
Join a club, register online
Complete rules