Lamar University wins College Fishing Texas Division event on Toledo Bend

The Lamar University team of Danny Iles (left) and Matt Morrison (right) show off their first-place catch at the FLW College Fishing event at Toledo Bend. The team ultimately took home a first-place check for $10,000 after boating a total weight of 19 pounds, 6 ounces. Photo by Gary Mortenson. Anglers: Danny Iles, Matt Morrison.

March 19, 2011 • MLF • Abu Garcia College Fishing

HEMPHILL, Texas – The Lamar University team of Matt Morrison and Danny Iles won the National Guard FLW College Fishing Texas Division event on Toledo Bend Saturday with five bass weighing 19 pounds, 6 ounces. The victory earned the team $10,000 to be split between the university and the university’s bass fishing club – $7,500 for the bass club and $2,500 for their school. The win also helped them advance to the Texas Division Regional Championship.

“It is difficult to win one tournament, but to win two is just unbelievable,” said Iles, a junior mechanical engineering major. “Matt and I have had an incredible year against some really good competition. It is really hard to believe we won again.

“We had a pretty decent day,” Iles went on to say. “We had about 10 keeper fish which was a few more than the rest of the teams seemed to have. Most of the other teams were sight fishing. We didn’t do much sight fishing which is what I think made the difference for us. We were using Strike King Game Hawgs and an All Terrain Jig with a Strike King Game Hawg trailer to catch most of our fish. Our big one came with the Strike King Game Hawg.”

The pair from Lamar University won earlier this year at Choke Canyon and have also qualified for the National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship taking place April 7-9 on Kentucky Lake being hosted by Murray State.

“We are really excited about making nationals,” said Morrison, a senior mechanical engineering major. “We were able to make it up there for three days of practice and feel pretty good about our chances. Kentucky Lake fishes a lot like Sam Rayburn so it should be a lot of fun.”

Rounding out the top five teams and also advancing to the Texas Regional Championship are:

2nd: Stephen F. Austin – Ryan Watkins and Andrew Upshaw, (five bass, 14-8, $3,000)

3rd: University of Texas, Arlington – Steve Cermak and Todd Fontenot, (five bass, 14-8, $2,000)

4th: Baylor University – Alton Jones and Brian Bauer, (five bass, 13-5, $2,000)

5th: Lamar University – Justin Royal and Troy Luce, (five bass, 12-13, $2,000)

The top five teams from each tournament qualify for the regional championship where the first-place team will win $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 will win $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.

The next National Guard FLW College Texas Division tournament is scheduled for May 14 at Lake Texoma in Pottsboro, Texas and is hosted by Denison Area Chamber of Commerce.

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.