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FLW Announces 2015 College Fishing Program, Schedule

11/6/2014
Credit:
FLWOutdoors.com

This special tournament offers a Ranger Z117 to the winning team and advances the top 10 teams directly to the 2016 FLW College Fishing National Championship. The event will be open to teams from any conference, and there is no limit on the number of boats each school can enter.

"Our goal is for this to be the single largest gathering of collegiate anglers in history," says Kathy Fennel, FLW President of Operations.

The two-day tournament, featuring a full field both days, will be held March 20-21 on Kentucky Lake at a time when fishing action should be incredible given the lake’s well-deserved reputation for producing big catches that time of year.

To accommodate growing demand better, FLW will no longer restrict field sizes at qualifying events. In addition, participation is also open to full-time graduate students at four-year colleges and full-time undergraduate students at community colleges. Previously, participation was limited to full-time undergraduate students at four-year colleges and fields were limited to 50 boats.

Each FLW College Fishing conference will host three qualifying tournaments and a Conference Championship (previously called an Invitational), except for the Western Conference, which will host two qualifying tournaments and a Conference Championship in 2015.

"This change, along with opening the fields, is intended to help cut travel costs for Western Conference teams, many of which have to travel substantially more miles than teams in other divisions in order to have representation in three tournaments," notes Kevin Hunt, FLW College Fishing Tournament Director.

The top 15 teams from each qualifier will advance to a Conference Championship. From there the top 10 teams will advance to the 2016 FLW College Fishing National Championship, and one member of the national championship team ultimately will advance to the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup for the chance to win $500,000 – the biggest payday in bass fishing. To determine who punches his or her ticket to the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup, the national champions will fish head-to-head on an undisclosed body of water the day after the 2016 National Championship is complete. In other words, they will switch from teammates to opponents for a final winner-take-all showdown that pays a minimum of $10,000 as a Forrest Wood Cup qualifier.

In a move that mirrors recent changes on the Walmart FLW Tour, FLW College Fishing anglers can wear their own jerseys beginning with the 2015 National Championship and going forward, greatly enhancing the value that each team’s local sponsors receive.

Registration for the 2015 season opens Dec. 15, 2014, for teams from clubs represented in the 2014 FLW College Fishing National Championship. All other teams may register beginning Dec. 16, 2014. Teams can register at CollegeFishing.com or by calling 270.252.1000. Teams fishing the 2015 FLW College Fishing National Championship will receive a travel allowance based on the distance traveled to the event, but all other travel allowances have been discontinued. There are no entry fees in FLW College Fishing tournaments. Phones are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time Monday through Friday.

"We are looking forward to a tremendous 2015 season as we continue to build on the momentum of ICAST, an incredible 2014 Forrest Wood Cup in Columbia, SC, newsstand sales that rank FLW Bass Fishing magazine as the best-selling title in its category, our recent NBC network broadcast success and our recent New York Times cover story on FLW College Fishing," adds Trisha Blake, FLW President of Marketing. "All of this means more opportunity for students fishing FLW College Fishing, the nation’s largest collegiate tournament trail."

FLW College Fishing Highlights:
•No entry fees
•NEW FLW College Fishing Open advances 10 teams directly to the National Championship
•No limit on the number of teams each club can enter in each tournament
•No off-limits prior to qualifiers, the FLW College Fishing Open or Conference Championships
•Teams fish from their own boats



2015 FLW College Fishing Schedule:

*NEW FLW College Fishing Open

Mar 20-21 | Kentucky Lake: Moors Resort & Marina, Gilbertsville, KY

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Central Conference

Apr 11 | Table Rock Lake: Port of Kimberling Marina & Resort, Kimberling City, MO

Jun 13 | Kentucky Lake: Kentucky Dam Marina, Gilbertsville, KY

Jul 25 | Mississippi River – La Crosse: Clinton Street Landing West, La Crosse, WI

Central Conference Championship

Oct 3-4 | Carlyle Lake: Dam West Boat Ramp, Carlyle, IL

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Northern Conference

May 9 | Smith Mountain Lake: Parkway Marina, Huddleston, VA

Jul 11 | Indian Lake: Indian Lake State Park, Lakeview, OH

Aug 1 | Chautauqua Lake: Long Point State Park, Bemus Point, NY

Northern Conference Championship

Sep 12-13 | Chesapeake Bay: Anchor Marina, North East, MD

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Southeastern Conference

Feb 14 | Lake Seminole: Bainbridge Earle May Boat Basin, Bainbridge, GA

May 2 | Lake Guntersville: Civitan Park, Guntersville, AL

May 30 | Lake Hartwell: Gum Branch Park, Hartwell, GA

Southeastern Conference Championship

Sep 26-27 | Pickwick Lake: McFarland Park, Florence, AL

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Southern Conference

Jan 24 | Sam Rayburn Reservoir: Umphrey Family Pavilion, Brookeland, TX

Feb 21 | Lake Texoma: Highport Marina, Pottsboro, TX

Sep 19 | Red River: Grand Ecore Recreation Area, Natchitoches, LA

Southern Conference Championship

Oct 17-18 | Grand Lake: Wolf Creek Park, Grove, OK

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Western Conference

Feb 7 | Lake Havasu: Lake Havasu State Park/Windsor Beach, Lake Havasu City, AZ

May 9 | California Delta: Russo’s Marina, Bethel Island, CA

Western C [truncated for length]
 
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