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. This year, High School Fishing will be more closely linked with College Fishing than ever before.
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.
In addition to his YETI FLW College Fishing duties, Kevin 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,” says Hunt, Director of Tournament Operations, College and High School Fishing. “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.”
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:
2019 High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship has yet to be announced.
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.