FLORENCE, Ala. – National Guard FLW College Fishing is headed to Pickwick Lake June 11 for the final of the four fishing tournaments in the Southeast Division. As many as 40 college teams will be fishing for a top award of $10,000 to be split between the school and bass fishing club; $7,500 for bass club and $2,500 for their school.
“Pickwick is one of the hottest lakes in the country,” said National Guard pro Jonathan Newton of Rogersville, Ala. “It’s going to be a great event.”
Newton said the collegiate anglers will have success by finding an offshore area with a large concentration of bass and picking it apart with deep baits such as large crankbaits, football-head jigs and Carolina-rigged baits.
“All of the typical ledge-fishing stuff that works on the Tennessee River will work there,” Newton said.
Anglers will take off from McFarland Park in Florence, Ala., at 6:30 a.m. Saturday. Weigh-in will be held at McFarland Park beginning at 1 p.m. Takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public.
Schools competing in the Pickwick Lake tournament, which is hosted by Florence/Lauderdale Tourism, are available online.
The top five teams from each tournament will qualify for the regional championship where the first-place team wins $12,500 cash for their school and $12,500 cash and a Ranger 177TR bass boat with a 90 horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard wrapped in school colors for their fishing club. The top five teams from each regional tournament advance to the national championship where the first-place team wins $25,000 for their school and $50,000 cash and a Ranger 177TR bass boat with a 90 horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard wrapped in school colors for their fishing club.
College Fishing is free to enter and FLW Outdoors provides boats and drivers for each competing team along with travel allowances. All participants must be registered, full-time undergraduate students at a four-year college or university and members of a fishing club recognized by their college or university.
For complete details and updated information, browse this website. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWCollegeFishing.
About FLW Outdoors
FLW Outdoors is the largest tournament-fishing organization in the world, offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 191 tournaments in 2011. FLW Outdoors has taken fishing mainstream with the world’s richest fantasy sports game, FLW Fantasy Fishing at FantasyFishing.com, where competitors can play for free as well as sign up for Player’s Advantage to gain an edge.