Fifth-Annual YETI FLW College Fishing Open Set for Kentucky/Barkley Lakes

Nolan Hitt, William Mathews Photo by Matt Pace. Angler: Nolan Hitt.

March 5, 2019 • FLW Communications • Abu Garcia College Fishing

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – FLW College Fishing is set to return to FLW’s home waters, March 12-13 for the fifth annual YETI FLW College Fishing Open at Kentucky and Barkley Lakes. The tournament, hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau and Moors Resort & Marina, allows registration from any eligible college team from across the United States, regardless of division. Anglers who finish within the top 20, along with one additional team for every 10 teams over 200 competing, will automatically qualify for the 2020 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship, and the champions will take home a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 115-horsepower outboard – a $30,000 package.

The annual FLW College Fishing Open is widely known as one of the largest college fishing tournaments in the nation – last year’s event drew 216 teams from across the country. Another huge field is expected for the 2019 event, with many of the future stars of tomorrow competing, including record-setting 5-time College Fishing National Championship qualifier K.J. Queen from Bethel University and Kash Daniel, star linebacker for the University of Kentucky, who will be taking his talents from the gridiron to the water to compete for the UK bass-fishing team.

“From what I’ve heard, the lake is supposed to start dropping a foot a day, so barring any more rain, they should be fishing falling water,” said Rapala pro Terry Bolton of Benton, Kentucky, a 24-year FLW Tour veteran. “The lake has been high for a while and I think that will create some opportunities. There should be heavy current generation, so it will be about finding little eddies and bars and points where those fish can stack up. My guess is the winning team will probably find one spot and that’s all they’ll need, and they’ll catch most of their weight in one place first thing in the morning.

“Overall, I think it’s probably going to be dominated by crankbaits, like a [Rapala] DT10 or DT6, big spinnerbaits, and even an umbrella rig. With the color of water, I still think it’s going to be a moving-bait type tournament,” said Bolton. “You may see a jig play a little bit. The jerkbait bite may be a little tough with the color of the water, but we’ll see what happens as the water falls, it may clear up creeks and other areas.”

The longtime Tour pro finished by saying he predicts the winning duo will have a two-day catch weighing 42 pounds.

The registration meeting for the Open will take place Monday, March 11, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at Moors Resort and Marina located at 570 Moors Road in Gilbertsville, with a pre-tournament meeting following registration at 6 p.m. The entire field of competitors will compete both days of the tournament.

Anglers will take off from Moors Resort and Marina at 7 a.m. CST on both days of competition. Weigh-ins will be held lakeside at the Resort each day, beginning at 3:00 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

YETI FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school. The top 10 teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2020 FLW College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats. The Potomac River and Marbury, Maryland, will play host to the 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship, June 4-6, 2019.

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

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 2019 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct more than 290 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 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, and YouTube.

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