YETI FLW College Fishing Event Presented by Bass Pro Shops Set for Toledo Bend Lake

MANY, La. – The YETI FLW College Fishing season will continue with an event next week, Nov. 3, at the YETI FLW College Fishing on Toledo Bend Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops. The tournament, hosted by the Sabine Parish Tourist Commission, is the third and final regular-season event for college anglers in the Southern Conference and will award a top prize of a $2,000 club scholarship and an invitation to compete in the 2019 College Fishing National Championship to the winners.

“The fishing on Toledo Bend Lake has been a bit tough the past couple of months,” said 2018 BFL All-American Champion Nick LeBrun of Bossier City, Louisiana. “We had a BFL Super Tournament there a few weeks ago and it only took a two-day total of 27 pounds to win. Normally, it takes about that much at a one-day event to win. I’m hoping the cooler weather we’ve been getting will help out the bite. This cold snap could be just what the lake needs.

“I think it’s going to be more of a shallow deal [for the collegiate anglers]. Right now, guys up shallow are getting 10 to 12 pounds in a day, but in a couple of weeks that could be more in the 15- to 17-pound range,” continued LeBrun. “Anglers in those areas will be focused on the grass and lily pads. There’s not much of that stuff this year, but it will be a player. Topwater baits will be a good bet, as well as swim jigs and spinnerbaits. Basically any kind of shad-imitating bait will be good.”

LeBrun said that on the north end of the lake, there’s also potential for some offshore bites.

“It’s a deal where you’re sitting in around 20 feet of water and you’re casting into 10 to 12 feet, and usually to shallower ridges,” said LeBrun. “Competitors in those areas will probably throw a big worm, a soft-plastic on a Carolina rig or a jig.”

LeBrun went on to say that the top duo will likely need to bring in five bass weighing around 19 pounds to win the event.

“Fishing for the right five bites will be crucial. Lately, it seems like the angler catching 20 fish a day only has 10 or 12 pounds, but the angler who has only five bites or so is catching heavier fish, so getting dialed in on what the big ones are doing will be the key.”

Competitors will take off from Cypress Bend Park, located at 3462 Cypress Bend Drive, in Many, at 7:30 a.m. CDT Saturday. Weigh-in will be held at the takeoff location beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public.

Schools are allowed to register up until the morning of the tournament. Entries may be made either by phone or at CollegeFishing.com.

Schools currently registered to compete in the Toledo Bend Lake tournament include:

Abilene Christian University – Corbin Craft, Fort Worth, Texas, and John Biavati, Dallas, Texas

Abilene Christian University – Zach Pendleton, Austin, Texas, and Ethan Edwards, Abilene, Texas

Angelo State University – Steven Armstrong, Brownwood, Texas, and Nathan Ahle, Plano, Texas

East Texas Baptist University – Brett Clark, Center, Texas, and Cody Ross, Livingston, Texas

East Texas Baptist University – Colby Simmons and Brandon Barber, both of Elysian Fields, Texas

East Texas Baptist University – Jared Penton, Grand Junction, Colo., and Ashlynn Boyer, Haughton, La.

East Texas Baptist University – Mason Beatty, Hallsville, Texas, and Jacob Keith, Jefferson, Texas

Louisiana College – Jace Dennis, Pineville, La., and Judah Morris, Forest Hill, La.

Louisiana College – Trace Moore, Bridge City, La., and Ben South, Jasper, Texas

Louisiana Tech University – Jacob Mitcham and Huff McIntosh, both of Ruston, La.

McNeese State University – Annabelle Guins and Hayden Williams, both of Lake Charles, La.

Nicholls State University – Cole Amedee, Donaldsonville, La., and Seth Naquin, Gray, La.

Northeast Texas Community College – Danny Boyd, Winnsboro, Texas, and Austin King, Hughes Springs, Texas

Northeastern State University-Tahlequah – Caleb Gibson, Locust Grove, Okla., and Bo Adams, Henryetta, Okla.

Northwestern State University – Gage Ulrich, Pineville, La., and Jackson McGee, Shreveport, La.

Rogers State University – Dillon Roberts, Claremore, Okla. and Jalen Dickinson, North Platte, Neb.

Sam Houston State University – Kasey Sanders, Montgomery, Texas, and Spencer Fair, Streetman, Texas

Stephen F. Austin State University – Kyle Dragulski, Mansfield, Texas, and Chandler Burgay, Timpson, Texas

Stephen F. Austin State University – River Lee, Normangee, Texas, and Garrett Goodson, Livingston, Texas

Tarleton State University-Stephenville – Chad Jones, Stephenville, Texas, and Graham Godwin, Princeton, Texas

Tarleton State University-Stephenville – Jared Stone, Bowie, Texas, and Matthew Ford, Burleson, Texas

Tarleton State University-Stephenville – Jason Lau, Flower Mound, Texas, and Tyler Geer, Granbury, Texas

Texas A&M University-Commerce – Michael Wallace, Plano, Texas, and William Fitzgerald, Quinlan, Texas

Texas A&M University-Texarkana – Justin Striplin, Texarkana, Texas, and Nicole Gilliland, Texarkana, Ark.

Texas A&M University – Geoffrey Polefko, Cypress, Texas, and Brooklyn Goldsmith, Orange, Texas

Texas A&M University at Galveston – Mathew Dove, Deer Park, Texas, and Aaron Batten, Houston, Texas

Texas State University – Fletcher Burchell, Grand Saline, Texas, and Collin Lansdale, Georgetown, Texas

Texas State University – Gregory Lundvick and Dean Bartleet, both of San Marcos, Texas

Texas Tech University – Colton Ashcraft and Bryson Batla, both of Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University – Lucas Jensen, Lubbock, Texas, and Victor Martinez, Laredo, Texas

Tyler Junior College – Hudson Daille, Tyler, Texas, and Austin Davis, Whitehouse, Texas

University of Central Oklahoma – Drew Douglas, Tulsa, Okla., and Zachariah Edwards, Wellston, Okla.

University of North Texas at Dallas – Hunter Benner and Brandon Benner, both of Cedar Hill, Texas

University of Oklahoma – Keith Sherwood, McAlester, Okla. and Randy Geyer, Arlington, Texas

YETI 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 will advance to the 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats. The Potomac River and Marbury, Maryland, will play host to the 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship, June 4-6, 2019.

YETI FLW College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow YETI FLW College Fishing on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.

About FLW

FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, and South Africa. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.

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