MINNEAPOLIS – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, Abu Garcia, an industry-leading fishing rod and reel manufacturer, and the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), announced today a new contingency program for youth bass anglers who fish the YETI FLW College and Bass Pro Shops FLW High School tournament circuits.

Per the terms of the program, the BSA will award an Abu Garcia Black Max Low Profile reel to the highest finisher in each YETI FLW College Fishing tournament who is a current or former Scout (Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Scouts BSA, Sea Scout, Venturing or Exploring), as well as the highest finishers in each Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Open and the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship who meet the same criteria.

“Abu Garcia is proud to be working with the Scouts and FLW to help support and grow the sport of fishing among high school and college students,” said Jon Schlosser, Vice President of Marketing for Abu Garcia. “We recognize that student anglers represent the future of the sport, and we are committed to investing in building a community around fishing that today’s youth can be a part of. We started this mission with the launch of the Berkley and Abu Garcia Student Angler program in September 2018 to help support high school and college teams by providing fundraising opportunities, a jersey program and pro angler mentoring, and are looking forward to growing the program in the future. Given our focus on supporting student anglers, working with the Scouts to support their contingency program with FLW made perfect sense, and we are excited to be a part of the program.”

The Boy Scouts of America has been heavily involved with tournament fishing for a number of years, with pro angler Tom Redington of Royse City, Texas, representing the brand on the FLW Tour.

“Scouting and fishing go hand-in-hand. Every year, kids head to BSA camps where there are fishing ponds, and for many of them, it’s their first experience with a rod and reel,” said Redington. “The BSA is just a great way for kids to gain basic knowledge about fishing, and for those who are more serious about it, it’s a chance to connect with friends and leaders who can help them elevate their skills to fish at the high school and college levels.”

The contingency programs are open to all YETI FLW College and Bass Pro Shops FLW High School anglers who meet the BSA criteria. To determine eligibility, anglers must notify the tournament director of their Scout status.

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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