FLW Taps Hunt as New High School Fishing Director, Announces Schedule, Rules and Entry Dates For 2019 YETI FLW College Fishing, Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing

Both Members of Winning Team at YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship Advance to the Forrest Wood Cup, Second, Third and Fourth-place Teams Advance to the T-H Marine BFL All-American to Compete as Boaters.

MINNEAPOLIS – FLW announced Thursday the schedule, rules and entry dates for the 2019 YETI FLW College Fishing and Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing seasons, highlighted by expanded FLW Live on-the-water coverage at the 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, new advancement opportunities for young anglers to compete in the T-H Marine BFL All-American, Costa FLW Series Championship and the FLW Cup, and implementation of a new National School of the Year title, as well as titles in each individual conference.

Among the changes for FLW College Fishing in 2019 is the elimination of the National Championship Fish-Off. Now both members of the winning team at the YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship will advance to the FLW Cup where they are each guaranteed $10,000 plus a shot at winning $300,000. Both members of the second, third, and fourth-place teams at the 2020 National Championship will advance to the T-H Marine BFL All-American to compete as boaters where they are guaranteed $1,500 plus a shot at winning $120,000. Both members of the fifth and sixth-place teams at the 2020 National Championship advance to the All-American to compete as co-anglers where they are guaranteed $750 plus a shot at winning $60,000. Additionally, each angler finishing in the top 10 at the 2020 National Championship receives priority entry into the 2021 FLW Series.

Each FLW College Fishing angler competing in the All-American has a chance to qualify for the FLW Series Championship plus a second shot at qualifying for the FLW Cup.

“I am excited for the 2019 season and am confident that it will be the biggest and best College Fishing season yet,” said Kevin Hunt, Director of Tournament Operations, College and High School Fishing. “The fact that both anglers from the National Championship winning team will now advance to the FLW Cup, along with multiple qualifiers to the BFL All-American, is a fantastic opportunity for the teams and something that no other circuit can offer. I expect that these improvements will be very well received by college anglers, and I’m looking forward to getting the season kicked off in early February on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia.”

In addition to FLW Live on-the-water coverage at the FLW College Fishing National Championship, each regular-season tournament and the Open will feature FLW Live weigh-in coverage.

Other improvements to the program include new YETI FLW College Fishing School of the Year titles, awarded to the top overall school of the season as well as the top school from each of the five conferences. Schools earn points based on their top two teams in each tournament. The school with the most points in each conference and overall at the end of the season win.

All FLW College Fishing anglers are now eligible for FREE Bass Pro Shops FLW Tournament Incentives at basspro.com/flwincentives. FLW College Fishing anglers receive a VIP discount card for 25 percent off Bass Pro Shops branded merchandise all year plus tournament bonuses. A nominal entry fee of $75 per team will be implemented for each event. Entries will be accepted starting Dec. 10 2018. Teams can register at FLWFishing.com or by calling 270.252.1000.

FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open advance to the following year’s FLW College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats or 200 boats in the Open. The 2019 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship is on the Potomac River, June 4-6, and hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism.

For 2019 FLW College Fishing tournaments in the Central, Northern, Southern and Southeastern conferences will be held on Fridays. Western conference tournaments will continue to be held on Saturdays.

2019 FLW College Fishing Schedule:

FLW College Fishing Open

• March 12-13 Kentucky Lake Gilbertsville, Ky.

Central Conference

• April 12 Lake Cumberland  Burnside, Ky.
• July 19 Mississippi River Wabasha, Minn.
• Oct. 18 Lake of the Ozarks Osage Beach, Mo.

Northern Conference

• April 26 Smith Mountain Lake Huddleston, Va.
• May 31 Chesapeake Bay Edgewood, Md.
• Sept. 6 Lake Erie Sandusky, Ohio

Southeastern Conference

• Feb. 8 Lake Seminole Bainbridge, Ga.
• March 1 Lake Guntersville Guntersville, Ala.
• Nov. 1 Lake Hartwell Hartwell, Ga.

Southern Conference

• Feb. 22 Sam Rayburn Reservoir Zavalla, Texas
• April 5 Lake Texoma Pottsboro, Texas
• Sept. 20  Arkansas River North Little Rock, Ark.

Western Conference

• March 2 Lake Mead Las Vegas, Nev.
• May 18 Clear Lake Lakeport, Calif.
• Sept. 28 California Delta Bethel Island, Calif.

FLW College Fishing National Championship

• June 4-6  Potomac River Marbury, Md.

2019 FLW College Fishing Payouts:

YETI FLW College Fishing Open

Place Club 

1 $30,000 Ranger Z175 with a 115-horsepower outboard

Top 20 teams advance to the 2020 National Championship. One additional team advances for every 10 teams over 200 competing.

Qualifiers

Place Club  

1 $2,000

2 1,000

3 500

4 500

5 500 

Top 10 teams advance to the 2020 National Championship. One additional team advances for every 10 teams over 100 competing.

2019 National Championship – No Entry Fee 

Place Club

1 $30,000 Ranger Z175 with a 115-horsepower outboard + 2019 FLW Cup entry 

2 5,000

3 4,000

4 3,000

5 2,000

Both members of the winning team advance to the 2019 FLW Cup where they are guaranteed $10,000 and can win as much as $300,000.

Complete rules for the 2019 YETI FLW College Fishing program can be found online at FLWFishing.com.

In addition to his FLW College Fishing duties, Hunt has been tapped to lead FLW’s High School Fishing tournaments. He succeeds tournament director Dave Maxfield, who will lead two BFL divisions as tournament director.

Hunt has served as an FLW tournament director since 2004 and overseen the implementation and growth of the FLW College Fishing circuit since its implementation in 2008.

“I’m thrilled for the opportunity to continue to work with college anglers and look forward to helping cultivate the next generation of anglers through the FLW High School Fishing program,” Hunt said. “I expect the transition will be near seamless, and I am excited to introduce myself to and work with the hundreds of high school fishing teams and coaches along with the tens of thousands of young anglers participating in High School Fishing.” 

To foster mentoring opportunities between college and high school teams and introduce High School Fishing anglers to college opportunities awaiting them as they continue their education, all Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Opens will be held on Saturdays following a YETI FLW College Fishing tournament. This will allow students and parents to network with prospective college teams and coaches during Friday’s registration immediately following the college weigh-ins. California and Nevada tournaments will be held on Sundays with registration on Saturdays following college weigh-ins.

FLW also unveiled an unprecedented new opportunity for high school anglers participating in the Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Opens and The Bass Federation/Student Angler Federation State Championships and Challenge tournaments to advance to the BFL All-American as co-anglers. In addition to receiving a $10,000 scholarship ($5,000 per student), both members of the winning team at the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship qualify to compete as co-anglers in the 2020 All-American, where they are each guaranteed $750 and can win as much as $60,000. Students must be at least 16 years old as of the 2020 All-American or the next highest finishing student who meets age requirements will advance.

All FLW High School Fishing anglers are eligible for FREE Bass Pro Shops FLW Tournament Incentives, including valuable tournament bonuses. Sign up at basspro.com/flwincentives.

2019 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Opens Schedule:

• Feb. 9 Lake Seminole Bainbridge, Ga.
• Feb. 23 Sam Rayburn Reservoir Zavalla, Texas
• March 2 Lake Guntersville  Guntersville, Ala.
• March 3 Lake Mead Las Vegas, Nev.
• April 6 Lake Texoma Pottsboro, Texas
• April 13 Lake Cumberland Burnside, Ky.
• April 27 Smith Mountain Lake Huddleston, Va.
• May 19 Clear Lake Lakeport, Calif.
• June 1 Chesapeake Bay Edgewood, Md.
• July 20 Mississippi River Wabasha, Minn.
• Sept. 7 Lake Erie Sandusky, Ohio
• Sept. 21 Arkansas River North Little Rock, Ark.
• Sept. 29 California Delta Bethel Island, Calif.
• Oct. 19 Lake of the Ozarks Osage Beach, Mo.
• Nov. 2 Lake Hartwell Hartwell, Ga.

2019 High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship

• TBA Watch FLWFishing.com and HighSchoolFishing.org for details.

All FLW and TBF High School Fishing tournaments are free to enter. The tournaments are two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and open to any Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10 percent of teams in each tournament advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. Tournaments held before June 9, 2019, advance teams to the 2019 National Championship. Tournaments held after June 9, 2019, advance teams to the 2020 National Championship. All participating teams automatically qualify to compete in the High School Fishing World Finals for more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes. Visit FLWFishing.com and HighSchoolFishing.org for schedules.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow YETI FLW College Fishing and the Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Opens on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.

About FLW

FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.

About The Bass Federation

The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization there is. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 45 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2008 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.

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