Auburn's Matt Lee Reflects on Being Classic Bound

Photo: James Overstreet B.A.S.S.

They say that the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation is the hardest path to the Bassmaster Classic.  While it's true that making the Classic through the Federation is extremely difficult, the path as a college angler might be even more of a challenge.  Auburn's Matt Lee completed the long journey and had to endure every possible emotion to make it happen.  He edged out his own brother for the right to the berth and it was not easy.  

To even make it this far, the two brothers had to first be the top two anglers in their school (which consists of  roughly thirty anglers) after five qualifying tournaments.  From there it was off to Regionals and then the National Championship.  The road just began there as the team had to finish the team competition in the top four in order to make the bracket style tournament.  Essentially, each day they fished could be their last, from the qualifiers to the finish; each fish was important. The odds of two Auburn anglers, let alone two brothers, making the finals were about as unlikely as you could imagine.

The thoughts and emotions still had not changed when I talked with Matt Lee this evening.  "I still cannot grasp what happened this weekend," stated Lee.  The unlikely scenario is a dream come true, but at the same time was crushing knowing that his best friend, brother, and life-long fishing partner came so close but fell just short.  They had talked about it before the event and mentioned how cool it would be if one of them won, but they never imagined it would be so hard.  "When I found out I won, all I could think about was Jordan walking off the stage and they were telling me I was going to the Classic. It was unreal and I was full of so many emotions." stated Lee.

The support and media attention has been overwhelming for Matt, who was forced to take a final this week in between getting calls and text messages from family, friends, media members and even the B.A.S.S. CEO.  I asked him if he ever imagined it would happen and said it was a dream come true.  "I still can't believe it and this has happened so fast.  There are so many emotions and the odds of just making it happen is unreal," added Lee.

He refelected on a recent article on Bassfan.com where Mike Iaconelli was discussing how he's trying to ensure that he makes the Classic this year after an average year. "To think that I might make it and Iaconelli might not is crazy and is very humbling, there is no way I am better than Ike and it just puts this in perspective.  Everyone is telling me how people try their whole life for this and here I am getting ready for it, it's all thanks to the opportunities B.A.S.S. has given college anglers and I want to represent them well," added Lee.  With an attitude like that, he is sure to represent college anglers very well, but he plans to fish Grand Lake as much as possible before the cut-off and try to compete in the event instead of just being someone who fished it.

This was a life-changing event for Lee, who is wrapping up his final stretch of a Industrial Engineering Degree.  "Before this, I was just focusing on getting good grades and trying to do well enough to get into a Master's program.  Now I am in class and all I can think about is Grand Lake," mentioned Lee.  He is smart and realizes that this is a huge opportunity, but also sees that education is the most important thing to being successful.  Nobody knows what the future holds for him, but he is grateful for the opportunity to fish against the best at the 2013 Classic.

Congrats Matt!

How to be a Successful Co-Angler - Part 2 - Richard Peek

Photo: FLWOutdoors.com

2011 was a breakout season for young Alabama angler Richard Peek.  He had success in his career fishing National Guard FLW College Fishing events for Auburn and also on the Bassmaster Weekend Series (where he won Co-Angler of the Year), but 2011 was his first full season on the top level of FLW Outdoors.  With two wins back to back this summer, one on the EverStart stop on Pickwick followed by a FLW Tour Major win on Kentucky Lake, he had a season Co-Anglers dream of.  He also finished 2nd on the EverStart Eufala event and the recent EverStart Championship on Kentucky Lake.  With these accomplishments, he has proven he has what it takes to not only compete, but to dominate the back of the boat.

I had the chance to talk with Richard and find out what his secret was.  The first thing he said with a laugh was that he was "really lucky".  We all know that was not the case.  He went on to divulge a little more and feels like the reason to his success was more of sticking to his game plan.  Before he entered this season, everyone told him he needed to get good with a spinning rod and just try to catch a limit.  He didn't like the idea and even admitted to me that he didn't own a spinning rod before this season.  He went out and bought a few after listening to the advice from friends, but he explained that he "just hates doing it, it's not how I like to fish".  Instead he stuck to his strengths all year and fished to win.  This is an interesting concept for fishing from the back of the boat. Often we see this from the pro side, the guys who either win the event or do poorly.  The guys who flip all day might win a few, but when they don't win they are near the bottom.  He took this approach and it paid off.  With 16 events this season, he finished in the Top 20 in half of them.  The way he looks at it, just fishing for a check is not good enough. A small check often doesn't cover all of the expenses for a tournament, so he changed his mindset.  This obviously worked for him in 2011.

So what was his approach?  He explained that he basically power fished each event.  He stuck with lures like a swimbait and big jig and really fished for bigger fish.  He went on to explain that catching two or three bigger fish will basically equal someone's shaky head or finesse limit.  Round out that limit with a few small keepers to go with the big fish and often he was near the top of the leader board.

Much like Clayton Coppin in Part 1, he is a believer in pre-fish. He credits the time spent on the water with FLW Pro Justin Lucas before each event as a big part of his success.  The days before the event were spent in various areas of the lake and allowed him to have a feel of basically any type of water he might see with his Pro partner.  It also allowed him to get a good feel of what the fish were doing.  He would spend the practice trying baits and techniques that could get him a bigger fish and also to look for ways to just get a bite when things get tough. Peek believes that out of all the advice he can give, it is most important to stick with the game plan no matter what. He explains that you have to fish your strengths no matter who you are fishing with.  Richard recalled some events with big name pros, where they planned to do one thing and he stuck to his strengths, only to see the pro switch to his techniques after he started catching them.

So what's next for Richard?  He plans to fish the EverStart Series as a Pro and get his feet wet from the front of the boat, but plans to stick with being a Co-Angler for the ten 2012 FLW Tour and Open events.  Watch out for this guy, he has a big future.

Richard Peek is sponsored by Ouzo Baits, Bo's Jigs and Powell Rods.

Collegiate Bass Fishing National Championship - The Winning Pattern

The University of Central Florida walked away from Lake Lewisville in Texas as National Collegiate Champions,.  I had the chance to talk with Sonar and Casey as they made the drive back to the Sunshine State. The week was amazing for them and as Casey said it was "definitely a week of blood, sweat and tears" as all of those made an appearance at some point this week.  The hard work and team effort proved to be the difference in winning the title.

The first day was nearly perfect for the two as they caught nearly twenty bass flipping and pitching wood laydowns in the backs of pockets.  The team said they found all of the backwater areas after looking at their Navionics lake map chips during the practice period. They knew coming in to the event that the water was high and the flipping but would be on.  They stuck to this pattern the entire event and flipped a variety of plastics including the Ouzo Baits Chunky Monkey as well as the new HD Flippin' Jig by Secret Lures.  They ended Day 1 with over 17 pounds, including a 5.39lb fish.  They ended the first day in 2nd Place.

Day 2 proved to be much tougher as they struggled to both get bites and land fish.  Near the end of the day they decided to make the run a little early due to rough water. They ended up having fifteen minutes to spare. As they were nearing the ramp they spotted a pocket near the check-in area on the Navionics chip.  The team decided to go all the way to the back, since another boat was just leaving.  Casey flipped into the single tree that was in the back of the pocket and caught a four pound fish that was also their fifth fish of the day.  At that moment, UCF had a "Never Give Up!" moment and made it back to the ramp just in time.  They ended up with 10.85lbs for the day and a 27.92 pound total. The low weights from Day 2 were enough to give them the title by over two pounds.

Overall it was an amazing week for the team and they were able to win bragging rights, have their names engraved on the traveling trophy (that will stay at UCF for the year), as well as winning several contingency prizes and a berth into the Federation National Championship.

Congrats once again UCF!


*The Versus Network will show this event on July 31st at 2 PM

Congrats to UCF - 2011 Collegiate Bass Fishing National Champions!

Congrats go out to Casey and Sonar for winning the Boat U.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing National Championship on Lake Lewisville. It was much tougher today as they weighed less than 11 pounds and still ended up winning by over two pounds.  The Day 1 leaders struggled and only brought one fish to the scales today.  You can see the entire results here. More details and a full report to come.

University of Central Florida Holding Their Own at the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship

The Boat U.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship is underway at Lake Lewisville in Texas.  College teams from across the country have earned the right to fish this event. The University of Central Florida team of Miles "Sonar" Burghoff and Casey O'Donnell are currently in second with 17.07 pounds in a tightly grouped top of the leader board.  I know both of these guys through the BFL Gator Division tournaments and couldn't be happier to see them near the top.  Both are awesome fisherman and know they have a big chance to win this thing.

I just had the chance to talk with Casey about the experience and he said it has been an amazing week.  They really treat these college anglers well and have provided them with all kinds of new gear and products.  To Casey, the best part was getting to talk with pro anglers like Mike McClelland and Jeff Kriet and to hear the legend Hank Parker speak to the anglers.  They had a camera boat with them in the boat all day and it really  legitimized the whole thing.  The tournament will be featured on Versus later this year.  These events are great for the future of fishing.

I'll talk with them tomorrow and get a full report of the tournament and patterns.  Good luck tomorrow guys!

Can't Get Enough of College Fishing

There's no doubt that college bass fishing is getting huge.  The number of teams is now approaching 500 across the country.  That is amazing.  It also seems like it is starting to get some more credibility with the schools themselves, going from "club" to sport.  For instance, Bethel University in TN is now offering scholarships for bass fishing!  I'm ready to go back to school if you are reading this Bethel.  I just found this article about the LSU bass team and how they are preparing for the upcoming season and trying to win the national championship.

My Alma Mater is now a Bass Fishing College!

There's no denying that College Bass Fishing is more popular then ever.  When I fished with Justin Lucas, the emcee for the college events, he said it has grown from around 90 schools to over 450 now.  That's a huge jump!  One of the newer schools is the school I graduated from, Eastern Washington University in Cheney, WA.  Times like this make me wish I was still in college!  One of the cool things about the team is that fellow blogger, Daniel of FHCOutdoors.com is part of the team along with Nick Barr.  They are headed to Lake Shasta in California next week to compete against the best in the West.  Good luck Eagles! 

This is about the only way on a fishing blog that I can brag about the school for football. Eastern will be competing in the Division I-AA Football Championship tomorrow after making it through the playoffs...yes...I-AA has a football playoff (take notice BCS fans).

FLW Tour Pro Luke Clausen is also a graduate of EWU.  It's interesting to note that Luke and myself have the same degree Daniel is seeking, a Bachelor's in Marketing.  Good luck EWU in both football and bass fishing! 

Friday, January 7 2011

NCAA DIVISION I-AA  CHAMPIONSHIP

7:00 PM ET

Delaware

(12-2, 6-2 CAA) 

E Washington

(12-2, 7-1 Big Sky)

A New Generation of Bass Fishing

If you haven't noticed, there is wave of the new generation of bass fishing.  The growth of  college fishing is amazing and the Junior Federation is strong.  Bradley Roy, who is 19 years old is fishing the Bassmaster Elite Series.  He is a product of the Junior Federation and is a past Junior World Champion, as is Joey Nania.  At the Lake Amistad Bassmaster Open this week, 18 year old Joey finished 9th after tying for the lead on Day 1.  Also included in the field were three other anglers who were under 20. In my opinion all of these signs point to a good future for tournament bass fishing.

State of the Bass Fishing Union

I am writing this as I watch this as our President delivers his State of The Union, and it is making me think of The State of the Bass Fishing Union.  Like everything else in the United States, bass fishing has undergone a tumultuous year.  We have seen shrinking sponsors, leading boat companies go bankrupt, and then split and sold, yet we continue on.  We remain optimistic.   

What do we need to do to ensure that this sport that we all love continues to prosper?  Everyone seems to have a great idea.  People all have an idea and have no problem speaking their mind.  Professional Bass fisherman Randy Blaukat thinks the sport needs a complete renovation, a chance to get back to the roots.  Just like Obama says, we need to focus on the average person.  I don’t agree with all Randy has to say but I do believe we need to ensure that tournament bass fishing does not become an elitist sport reserved for the wealthy.  How can we do this?   

Tournament trails like the FLW Series have seen the problem and reduced their entry fees (and payouts) in order to keep many in the game.  I have also noticed a trend in quality lower priced rods that keep fishing affordable.  I think we need all of this and more.  How about reducing the costs of bass boats and motors?   

I think of bass fishing as a reflection of the entire economy.  We need to adapt and change, until things get better.   

One of the most positive things I have seen in fishing has to do with the future of our sport.  The youth and college programs in bass fishing have never been better.  Youth clubs are becoming hugely popular and are even being seen at the high school level.  College fishing is exploding and is training our young anglers for a long future in the sport.    

These are all positive steps, but more needs to be done.  What do you think of the state of the bass fishing union?  I’d love to hear what you think needs to be changed, or if you think everything is fine. 

College Bass Fishing Top 25 Rankings??

With the growth of college bass fishing, it was only a matter of time before someone put together a Top 25 Ranking of teams like they do in all other college sports.  Tommy Edwards, president of the local college in my area put together on on his blog.  I think this is a great idea, and like he says on his blog: "The 'Top 25' is similar to rankings in every other college sport.  Like every college sports ranking, it may cause some controversy and debate, but we did out best!"  I thought this was awesome and it just adds to my envy for graduating college before all of this became so huge! I don't see my Eastern Washington Eagles on the list.

So here is Chris and Tommy's Top 25:

1	North Carolina State
2	North Texas
3	Northwestern State
4	Virginia Tech
5	Eastern Kentucky
6	Florida
7	Auburn
8	Stephen F. Austin
9	Texas A&M
10	Murray state
11	Alabama
12	Arkansas
13	Indiana
14	San Jose State
15	Arizona State
16	Louisiana - Lafayette
17	Oklahoma
18	LSU - Shreveport
19	UCF
20	Arkansas - Little Rock
21	Sacramento State
22	Texas State
23	Tarleton State
24	North Alabama
25	Faulkner

FLW Outdoors Announces 2010 Circuit Schedules

FLW just released their 2010 schedule. Some of the major changes include eliminating the FLW Eastern Series. The Western FLW Series Western Division will remain, but it will feature a reduced entry fee and payout structure. They also eliminated the Western Divison for the Stren Series. For the BFL circuit, they merged four divisions, including my own Evergades Division which will now join the Gator Division and will include all of Florida. Most of these changes were expected due to the low number of participants. You can read the entire press release below.

27.Oct.2009
www.flwoutdoors.com

MINNEAPOLIS — FLW Outdoors, the world’s leading tournament fishing organization, announced its 2010 schedules and tournament details, many of which have been modified to address the challenges many anglers are facing at all levels of the sport.

“Many of our anglers have been directly affected by the current economic downturn,” said Charlie Evans, President and CEO of FLW Outdoors. “We thoroughly studied every aspect of our tournaments and carefully developed our 2010 programs to minimize the time and expense required to compete while at the same time visiting quality fisheries that will provide exciting events that anglers and fans alike will enjoy. We are confident that the adjustments we made will serve our anglers well and position the sport for continued prosperity.”

FLW Tour

The FLW Tour, whose schedule was released earlier this year and is listed below, culminates with the Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing, in Atlanta.

Date, Fishery, Location
Feb. 10-13, Red River, Shreveport, La.
March 3-6, Table Rock Lake, Branson, Mo.
March 24-27, Lake Norman, Charlotte, N.C.
April 21-24, Ft. Loudoun-Tellico lakes, Knoxville, Tenn.
May 26-29, Lake Ouachita, Hot Springs, Ark.
June 23-26, Lake Guntersville, Huntsville, Ala.
Forrest Wood Cup
Aug. 5-8, Lake Lanier, Atlanta, Ga.

The FLW Tour will feature a cumulative weight format in 2010. The field of 150 pros and 150 co-anglers will compete Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with the top five pros advancing to Saturday. The total weight from the first three days will determine the winning co-angler Friday, and the total weight from all four days will determine the winning pro on Saturday. Weigh-ins will be held lakeside the first three days, moving to an arena in conjunction with the Tour’s popular Family Fun Zone and Outdoor Show on day four. Practice for each event has been condensed from four to three days – Saturday, Sunday and Monday – and tournament waters will go off-limits 13 days prior to practice, with registration on Tuesday.

Pro entry fees will be $4,000 per tournament and deposits have been reduced to $1,000 for each event. Pro anglers will continue to compete for a $100,000 top award in each event, with payouts of $10,000 through 50th place. Co-angler entry fees are $700 per event, and the top co-angler award in each tournament is $20,000 with payouts of $800 through 50th place.

The top 30 pros and 30 co-anglers from the 2010 season will qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup. The 2010 Forrest Wood Cup champion will earn $500,000 in the Pro Division and $50,000 in the Co-angler Division, unchanged from last year. Every pro that qualifies and fishes will earn a minimum of $7,000 while every co-angler earns a minimum of $1,500.

Sponsor contingency awards are being developed with our partners and will be announced for all circuits in the near future.

The top 100 pros and top 100 co-anglers from the 2009 FLW Tour and the 2009 FLW Series, top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers from each division of the 2009 Stren Series, and the boater and co-angler champion from the 2009 BFL All-American may register beginning Monday, Nov. 2, and must enter by Dec. 7 in order to secure their priority entry position for the 2010 season. Ranger boat owners may enter beginning Dec. 7, followed by Champion and Stratos boat owners and TBF members Dec. 8. General public entries will be accepted beginning Dec. 9. Deposits for all six events will be accepted online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Phones are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time.

FLW Series

The FLW Series will be adjusted with the Eastern Division being discontinued. The 2010 National Guard FLW Series will serve anglers in the Western United States and its schedule is below.

Date, Fishery, Location
Jan. 13-16, Lake Shasta, Shasta Lake, Calif.
May 5-8, Lake Roosevelt, Payson, Ariz.
June 9-12, California Delta, Stockton, Calif.
Sept 22-25, Lake Mead, Las Vegas, Nev.

The FLW Series field of 150 pros and 150 co-anglers will compete Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with the top five pros advancing to Saturday. The total weight from the first three days will determine the winning co-angler Friday, and the total weight from all four days will determine the winning pro Saturday. Practice for each event has been condensed from four to three days – Sunday, Monday and Tuesday – and tournament waters will go off-limits six days prior to practice.

Pro entry fees have been reduced to $2,000 per tournament and co-angler entry fees have been reduced to $350 per event. Anglers will compete for top awards of $50,000 in the Pro Division and $10,000 in the Co-angler Division, with awards of $5,000 and $400, respectively, extending through 50th place. The top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers at the end of the season will qualify for the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup.

The top 100 pros and top 100 co-anglers from the 2009 FLW Series and the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers from the 2009 Stren Series may register beginning Monday, Nov. 2, and must enter by Dec. 15 in order to secure their priority entry position for the 2010 season. Ranger boat owners may enter beginning Dec. 15 followed by Champion and Stratos boat owners and TBF members Dec. 16. General public entries will be accepted beginning Dec. 17. Pros and co-anglers who enter all four tournaments with a counterpart by Dec. 17 will be given priority over anglers who enter less than four events. Deposits for all four events will be accepted online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Phones are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time.

Stren Series

The current Stren Series will consist of four divisions in 2010 – Central, Northern, Southeast and Texas – with the Western division being discontinued. Each division will consist of three tournaments and the full schedule is below.

Date, Fishery, Location
Central Division
March 18-20, Lake of the Ozarks, Osage Beach, Mo.
April 15-17, Lake Ouachita, Mount Ida, Ark.
May 13-15, Kentucky Lake, Gilbertsville, Ky.

Northern Division
June 3-5, Potomac River, Marbury, Md.
July 15-17, Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Sept. 9-11, Lake Erie, Erie, Pa.

Southeast Division
Feb. 25-27, Lake Okeechobee, Clewiston, Fla.
April 29-May 1, Lake Eufaula, Eufaula, Ala.
Sept. 30-Oct. 2, Pickwick Lake, Florence, Ala.

Texas Division
Jan. 7-9, Lake Falcon, Zapata, Texas
Feb. 4-6, Sam Rayburn, Jasper, Texas
June 17-19, Toledo Bend, Manning, La.

Invitational
Nov. 4-6, Wheeler Lake, Decatur, Ala.

The fields will consist of 150 boats fishing Thursday and Friday and the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers advancing to Saturday. Winners will be determined by total weight from all three days. The points champion from each division will qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup and a fifth Forrest Wood Cup qualifier will advance from an Invitational event that is open to the top 50 anglers from each division.

Pro entry fees remain $825 per tournament and co-angler entry fees remain $325 per tournament. Anglers will compete for top awards of $25,000 in the Pro Division and a Ranger Boat in the Co-angler Division, with awards of $800 and $350 extending through 50th place, respectively. The entry fee in the Invitational is the same as a tournament entry fee.

The top 40 pros and top 40 co-anglers from each division of the 2009 season and the top 40 boaters and top 40 co-anglers from each division of the 2009 Bass Fishing League may register beginning Monday, Nov. 2, and must enter by Dec. 10 to secure their priority entry position for the 2010 season. Ranger boat owners may enter beginning Dec.10 followed by Champion and Stratos boat owners and TBF members Dec. 11. General public entries will be accepted beginning Dec. 14. Pros and co-anglers who enter all three tournaments in a division with a counterpart by Dec. 15 will be given priority over anglers who enter less than three events. Entries are accepted online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000 beginning Monday, Nov. 2. Phones are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time.

Bass Fishing League (BFL)

The Bass Fishing League continues its longstanding tradition as the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home tournaments in 2010 with 24 divisions serving weekend anglers. There will be four divisions merging: the Everglades with Gator; Empire with Northeast; Texas-Louisiana with Cowboy; and Dixie with Bama. Payouts, formats and entry fees for qualifiers and Super Tournaments remain unchanged.

The 2010 All-American presented by Chevy will be held on DeGray Lake in Hot Springs, Ark., May 27-29. This no-entry-fee tournament will pay the winning boater $100,000 and the winning co-angler $50,000. Every angler will cash a check, with the 54th place boater earning $1,500 and the 54th place co-angler earning $750.

Entries for the 2010 season will be accepted by division on the following dates: Dec. 7 – Hoosier, Michigan, Music City, and Volunteer; Dec. 8 – Bulldog, Cowboy, Great Lakes, Illini and Mississippi; Dec. 9 – Bama, Buckeye, Choo Choo, Gator and Mountain; Dec. 10 – Arkie, LBL, North Carolina, Northeast and Okie; and Dec. 11 – Ozark, Piedmont, Savannah River, South Carolina and Shenandoah. Entries are accepted online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Phones are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time.

National Guard FLW College Fishing

FLW Outdoors launched National Guard FLW College Fishing in 2009 and the success has been unparalleled. The national championship for the first season will take place at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., on Fort Loudoun-Tellico lakes, April 10-12, 2010.

The 2010 schedule will consist of four qualifying events and one regional tournament in each division – Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western – and is below.

Date, Fishery, Location
Central Division
March 20, Lake of the Ozarks, Osage Beach, Mo.
April 17, Lake Ouachita, Mount Ida, Ark.
May 15, Kentucky Lake, Gilbertsville, Ky.
July 24, Mississippi River, La Crosse, Wis.
Central Regional – Indiana University
Oct. 30-Nov. 1, Lake Monroe, Bloomington, Ind.

Northern Division
March 27, Mt. Island Lake, Mount Holly, N.C.
June 5, Potomac River, Marbury, Md.
July 17, Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Sept. 11, Lake Erie, Erie, Pa.
Northern Regional – North Carolina State
Nov. 6-8 Lake Jordan Raleigh, N.C.

Southeast Division
Feb. 27, Lake Okeechobee, Clewiston, Fla.
March 13, Old Hickory Lake, Gallatin, Tenn.
May 1, Lake Eufaula, Eufaula, Ala.
Oct. 2, Pickwick Lake, Florence, Ala.
Southeast Regional – University of South Carolina
Nov. 13-15 Lake Murray Columbia, S.C.

Texas Division
Jan. 9, Lake Falcon, Zapata, Texas
Feb. 6, Sam Rayburn, Jasper, Texas
March 6, Red River, Natchitoches, La.
June 19, Toledo Bend, Manning, La.
Texas Regional – University of Texas
Oct. 23-25, Lake Austin, Austin, Texas

Western Division
Jan. 16, Lake Shasta, Shasta Lake, Calif.
May 8, Lake Roosevelt, Payson, Ariz.
June 12, California Delta, Stockton, Calif.
Sept. 25, Lake Mead, Las Vegas, Nev.
Western Regional – Sacramento State
Oct. 16-18, Folsom Lake, Sacramento, Calif.

Full-time students at four-year institutions with a bass fishing club are eligible to compete. There is no entry fee, boats are provided and each team receives a travel allowance. Each qualifying event will accept up to 40 teams with the top five teams from each division advancing to their respective regional championship. The top five teams from each regional championship advance to the national championship. The team that takes home the national championship title qualifies for the Forrest Wood Cup.

Each team consists of two students competing for awards that are split between their bass fishing club and their respective school. Entries will be accepted online at CollegeFishing.com beginning Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 8 a.m. Central time. For additional information, please visit CollegeFishing.com.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors has also taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports.

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.