Arkansas Tech takes top honors on Kentucky Lake

Roberts-Goddard outfish Central Division field in National Guard FLW College Fishing event

The Arkansas Tech University team of Jonathan Roberts and Matt Goddard won the FLW College Fishing Central Division event on Kentucky and Barkley lakes to earn $5,000 for their college and another $5,000 for their school bass club. Anglers: Jonathan Roberts, Scott Lambert, Matt Goddard.

May 9, 2009 • MLF • Abu Garcia College Fishing

BENTON, Ky. – The Arkansas Tech University team of Jonathan Roberts and Matt Goddard won the National Guard FLW College Fishing Central Division opener on Kentucky Lake Saturday with six bass weighing 12 pound, 15 ounces even though they had never seen the lake before. The victory earned the team $10,000 to be split evenly between the university and the university’s bass-fishing club.

“We arrived late last night and slept in our truck in the parking lot,” said Goddard, a junior majoring in fisheries and wildlife biology. “This was our first time on the lake.”

The team caught fish early in the morning flipping flooded bushes then turned to Rat-L-Traps later in the day to flush out their limit. They estimate that they caught 50 bass, including 10 keepers and a 6-pounder that broke off with less than 30 minutes to go, from a single point in Duncan Bay

“When that fish broke off, I just laid down in the back of the boat because I knew that it cost us the tournament,” said Roberts, a sophomore majoring in fisheries and wildlife biology. “We were heart broken.”

As it turned out, Roberts and Goddard had more than enough to win, even without the big bass they lost.

Rounding out the top five teams were Eastern Kentucky University – Tyler Moberly and Richard Cobb (six bass, 11-08, $5,000); Indiana University – Jesse Schultz and Dustin Vaal (four bass, 10-11, $4,000); Ohio State University – Kevin Moeller and Casey Hammann (five bass, 10-08, $3,000); and University of Arkansas at Monticello – Philip Roberts and Robert Chapman (four bass, 9-10, $2,000).

FLW Outdoors announced the College Fishing trail in May 2008. The entire schedule, which is organized around the five Stren Series Divisions, can be found by visiting CollegeFishing.com along with rules, requirements and information on how to create a bass club.

Full-time students enrolled in four year colleges or universities are eligible to participate in the events. Schools can send two-person teams to each of the four qualifying events in their division, with each event limited to a maximum of 40 teams. Each team has the opportunity to win $10,000 for first and $2,000 through fifth place. Prize money is split evenly between the winning team’s club and the school they represent. The tournaments are free to enter, boats and drivers are provided and all collegiate teams receive a travel allowance. The top five teams in each qualifying event advance to one of five televised three-day National Guard FLW College Fishing Regional Championships.

Each school represented in a televised Regional Championship will have team shirts and boats provided by Ranger. The purse for each Regional Championship includes a Ranger 177TR with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Yamaha outboard wrapped in school colors for the winning club and $25,000 for the school they represent. Awards of $6,000 also extend through fifth place for the club and school to split evenly.

The National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship is a three-day televised event hosting the top five teams from each regional, 25 total teams. Teams will be provided shirts and wrapped Ranger boats towed by Chevy trucks for this competition. The purse for the championship ranges from $25,000 cash and a Ranger 177TR with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Yamaha outboard wrapped in school colors for the winning club and $50,000 for the school they represent to $15,000 for fifth, split between the club and school.

The winning team will be declared the National Guard FLW Collegiate National Champion and will qualify for the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup presented by BP and Castrol in 2010. The winners will also receive use of a wrapped boat and Chevy truck for the Forrest Wood Cup.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors also is taking fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player’s Advantage for only $10 to get your edge and win.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.