National Guard FLW College Fishing to start 2012 season on Okeechobee
Big O set up for ‘phenomenal fishing’
OKEECHOBEE, Fla. – National Guard FLW College Fishing is headed to Lake Okeechobee Jan. 21 for the first of four stops in the Southeast Division. Forty college teams from the across the region will compete for a top award of $5,000.
“These college kids are going to have a blast,” said FLW Tour pro Glenn Browne of Ocala, Fla. “They are going to catch a bunch of fish and have a great time doing it. The fishing is as good as it was last year, if you can believe that. Spawning season is going to make for some phenomenal fishing – you’ll probably see some more records broken.
“It is going to be typical Florida fishing: Swimbaits like the Gambler Big EZ are going to be popular; you’ll see some guys flipping into reeds and isolated areas; and Senkos will work for the back of the boat. One of the guys will be able to sink (the Senko) into a hole or reef and be sure to catch something. The key is going to be finding a sweet spot. Everyone is going to be using similar techniques and baits, but it’s the team that finds the honeyhole that will win. I would say it’s going to take in the mid- to upper 20-pound range to win – maybe even 30 pounds.”
Anglers will take off from C. Scott Driver Park located at 10100 West Highway 78 in Okeechobee, Fla., at 7:30 a.m. Saturday. Weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 1:30 p.m. Takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public.
Click on the link for a list of schools competing in the FLW College Fishing Lake Okeechobee tournament, being hosted by the Okeechobee County Tourism Development Council.
The top five teams from each tournament will qualify for the regional championship where the first-place team wins a Ranger 177TR bass boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard wrapped in school colors. 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 plus 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 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 regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit CollegeFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
About FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing unparalleled fishing resources and entertainment to our sponsors, fans and host communities. FLW is offering anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2012 over the course of 190 tournaments across five tournament circuits, each providing an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water,” through a variety of platforms including tournaments, outdoor expos and the world’s richest fantasy sports game – FLW Fantasy Fishing. For more information about FLW and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com and look for FLW on Twitter and Facebook.