2019 College Fishing Details
More opportunities for National Championship qualifiers than ever before
FLW announced Thursday the schedule, rules and entry dates for the 2019 YETI FLW College Fishing and Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing seasons, highlighted by expanded FLW Live on-the-water coverage at the 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, new advancement opportunities for young anglers to compete in the T-H Marine BFL All-American, Costa FLW Series Championship and the FLW Cup, and implementation of a new National School of the Year title, as well as titles in each individual conference.
Among the changes for FLW College Fishing in 2019 is the elimination of the National Championship Fish-Off. Now both members of the winning team at the YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship will advance to the FLW Cup where they are each guaranteed $10,000 plus a shot at winning $300,000. Both members of the second, third, and fourth-place teams at the 2020 National Championship will advance to the T-H Marine BFL All-American to compete as boaters where they are guaranteed $1,500 plus a shot at winning $120,000. Both members of the fifth and sixth-place teams at the 2020 National Championship advance to the All-American to compete as co-anglers where they are guaranteed $750 plus a shot at winning $60,000. Additionally, each angler finishing in the top 10 at the 2020 National Championship receives priority entry into the 2021 FLW Series.
Each FLW College Fishing angler competing in the All-American has a chance to qualify for the FLW Series Championship plus a second shot at qualifying for the FLW Cup.
“I am excited for the 2019 season and am confident that it will be the biggest and best College Fishing season yet,” says Kevin Hunt, Director of Tournament Operations, College and High School Fishing. “The fact that both anglers from the National Championship winning team will now advance to the FLW Cup, along with multiple qualifiers to the BFL All-American, is a fantastic opportunity for the teams and something that no other circuit can offer. I expect that these improvements will be very well received by college anglers, and I’m looking forward to getting the season kicked off in early February on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia.”
In addition to FLW Live on-the-water coverage at the FLW College Fishing National Championship, each regular-season tournament and the Open will feature FLW Live weigh-in coverage.
Other improvements to the program include new YETI FLW College Fishing School of the Year titles, awarded to the top overall school of the season as well as the top school from each of the five conferences. Schools earn points based on their top two teams in each tournament. The school with the most points in each conference and overall at the end of the season win.
All FLW College Fishing anglers are now eligible for FREE Bass Pro Shops FLW Tournament Incentives at basspro.com/flwincentives. FLW College Fishing anglers receive a VIP discount card for 25 percent off Bass Pro Shops branded merchandise all year plus tournament bonuses. A nominal entry fee of $75 per team will be implemented for each event. Entries will be accepted starting Dec. 10 2018. Teams can register at FLWFishing.com or by calling 270.252.1000.
FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open advance to the following year’s FLW College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats or 200 boats in the Open. The 2019 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship is on the Potomac River, June 4-6, and hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism.
For 2019 FLW College Fishing tournaments in the Central, Northern, Southern and Southeastern conferences will be held on Fridays. Western conference tournaments will continue to be held on Saturdays.
2019 FLW College Fishing Schedule
FLW College Fishing Open
- March 12-13 – Kentucky Lake – Gilbertsville, Ky.
Central Conference
- April 12 Lake Cumberland Burnside, Ky.
- July 19 Mississippi River Wabasha, Minn.
- Oct. 18 Lake of the Ozarks Osage Beach, Mo.
Northern Conference
- April 26 – Smith Mountain – Lake Huddleston, Va.
- May 31 – Chesapeake Bay – Edgewood, Md.
- Sept. 6 – Lake Erie – Sandusky, Ohio
Southeastern Conference
- Feb. 8 – Lake Seminole – Bainbridge, Ga.
- March 1 – Lake Guntersville – Guntersville, Ala.
- Nov. 1 – Lake Hartwell – Hartwell, Ga.
Southern Conference
- Feb. 22 – Sam Rayburn Reservoir – Zavalla, Texas
- April 5 – Lake Texoma – Pottsboro, Texas
- Sept. 20 – Arkansas River – North Little Rock, Ark.
Western Conference
- March 2 – Lake Mead – Las Vegas, Nev.
- May 18 – Clear Lake – Lakeport, Calif.
- Sept. 28 – California Delta – Bethel Island, Calif.
FLW College Fishing National Championship
- June 4-6 – Potomac River – Marbury, Md.
2019 FLW College Fishing Payouts
YETI FLW College Fishing Open
| Place | Club | |
| 1 | $30,000 Ranger Z175 with a 115-horsepower outboard |
Top 20 teams advance to the 2020 National Championship. One additional team advances for every 10 teams over 200 competing.
Qualifiers
| Place | Club |
| 1 | $2,000 |
| 2 | 1,000 |
| 3 | 500 |
| 4 | 500 |
| 5 | 500 |
Top 10 teams advance to the 2020 National Championship. One additional team advances for every 10 teams over 100 competing.
2019 National Championship – No Entry Fee
| Place | Club |
| 1 | $30,000 Ranger Z175 with a 115-horsepower outboard + 2019 FLW Cup entry |
| 2 | 5,000 |
| 3 | 4,000 |
| 4 | 3,000 |
| 5 | 2,000 |
Complete rules for the 2019 YETI FLW College Fishing program can be found online at FLWFishing.com.Both members of the winning team advance to the 2019 FLW Cup where they are guaranteed $10,000 and can win as much as $300,000.