Fresno State leads National Guard FLW College Fishing Western Regional on Saguaro Lake

The Fresno State team of Kong Moua (left) and Christopher Delgado show off their stunning 15-pound, 10-ounce catch on day two. Photo by Gary Mortenson. Anglers: Christopher Delgado, Kong Moua.

November 18, 2011 • MLF • Abu Garcia College Fishing

TEMPE, Ariz. – The Fresno State team of Kong Moua and Christopher Delgado both of Fresno, Calif., catapulted into the lead at the National Guard FLW College Fishing Western Regional championship Friday with a five bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 10 ounces for a two day total of eight bass weighing 20-5. The team now holds a commanding 9 pound, 1 ounce lead over their nearest competitor, Chico State, going into the final day of competition. Teams are competing for a total award of $50,000.

“It was out of control,” said an excited Delgado. “There was dancing and singing, the great thing about this lake is that everything echoes and everyone heard us. Tomorrow is going to be big!

“We caught our first fish about 11:30 this morning,” Delgado, the senior history major continued. “Once we figured out the pattern the fish didn’t stop biting. It’s all about structure and technique, that’s all I am going to say; we’ll spill our guts tomorrow. We are on a pattern that we should be able to duplicate tomorrow and there are spots all over the lake like the one we fished today. Tomorrow is going to be dangerous.

“The lake is really tough right now,” Delgado went on to say. “We came in to today with a 6 pound deficit knowing that we were up against some excellent anglers. Everyone made it here for a reason, because they could make the cut. But we knew it was anyone’s game and it still is. Anyone of these teams could figure it out and catch just as much as we did today.”

Bringing in one of only three five bass limits for the entire tournament the team from Fresno is enthusiastic about their chances of winning tomorrow. The team started fishing together for the first time this year describing themselves as bread and butter. Both hauled in a 4-pound bass today allowing them to cull several times, all after 12 p.m.

“I never expected that we would do so well today,” said a shell shocked Moua. “My whole goal for today was to make the top-five so that we could go to the national championship. Now the money is on the line. I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

Rounding out the top five teams, fishing tomorrow and qualifying for the 2011 National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship are:

2nd: Chico State – Thomas White, Fountain Valley, Calif., and Frank Vogt, Chico, Calif., five bass, 11-4

3rd: Sacramento State – Robert Matsuura, Sacramento, Calif., and Thomas Kanemoto, Elk Grove, Calif., seven bass, 11-1 4th: California Polytechnic – Scott Hellesen and Damian Bean, both of San Luis Obispo, Calif., six bass, 11-0

5th: Chico State – Bo Harkins, Chico, Calif., and Anthony Dayton, Walnut Creek, Calif., five bass, 10-3

For a complete list of final standings visit CollegeFishing.com.

Overall there were 36 bass weighing 69 pounds, 13 ounces caught by 20 teams. There were two five-bass limits caught.

Final take off will be at 7 a.m. Saturday from Saguaro Del Norte Recreation Site located at 14011 N. Bush Highway in Mesa, Ariz. Final weigh-in will be outside the Wells Fargo Arena located at 606 E. Alpha Drive on the Arizona State University campus beginning at 5 p.m., just prior to the Arizona State vs. Arizona football game. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public and are being hosted by Arizona State University and the Tempe Tourism Office.

A College Fishing Festival is being held throughout the three-day tournament. Students and fishing fans alike are being treated to a Ranger Boat simulator, Sony PS3 Gaming Trailer, tailgate games, a sports zone along with contests for cash and several prize giveaways. On Saturday, the festival will take place just outside the Wells Fargo Arena located at 606 E. Alpha Drive in Tempe on the Arizona State University campus from 2:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Teams at the FLW College Fishing Regional’s are fishing for a top award of $50,000 to be split between the university and the university’s bass fishing club – $12,500 and a Ranger 177TR with a 90-horsepower outboard wrapped in school colors for the bass club and $12,500 for their school.

The top five teams from each of the five regional tournaments will advance to the national championship where the first-place team will win a top award of $100,000; $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.

Coverage of the Western Regional Championship will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS. “FLW Outdoors,” will air Dec. 25 from 1 – 2 p.m. ET. “FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide.

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/FLWCollegeFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/CollegeFishing. Visit CollegeFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.

About FLW

FLW is the best in fishing, on and off the water. Anglers worldwide can compete for millions over the course of 191 tournaments in 2011. FLW has taken fishing mainstream with the world’s richest fantasy sports game, FLW Fantasy Fishing presented by Straight Talk, where competitors can play for free as well as sign up for Player’s Advantage to gain an edge. For more information about FLW and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com.