FLW College Fishing is headed to Lake Chickamauga on Sept. 24 for the third and final regular-season bass-fishing tournament in the Southeastern Conference. A full field of college teams will be competing for a top award of $2,000 and a berth in the FLW College Fishing National Championship.
“The lake is fishing a little tough right now, but it still took a five-bass limit weighing 24 pounds to win a tournament here this past weekend,” said FLW Tour pro Michael Neal of Dayton, who has five top-10 finishes on Lake Chickamauga in FLW competition. “There are still a lot of good fish being caught, but it’s far from being fast and furious right now. It always happens this time of the year – the fish are in transition and you’re limited to a much slower presentation.
“I think that 90-percent of the fish that are weighed in at this tournament will be grass-related,” Neal continued. “I think that flipping a 1- or 1½-ounce weight with a beaver-style bait – I’d throw a Big Bite Baits Yomama – will be strong. Topwater baits like Zara Spooks and Lucky Craft Sammys will do well first thing in the morning. They’ll catch a few fishing a jig or a worm on the outside edges as well. I truly believe this tournament will be won out of the grass.”
Neal predicted the winning duo would need at least 24 pounds of Chickamauga largemouth to best the field and earn the $2,000 payday. When asked for any advice for the competing college anglers, Neal said flipping was the deal.
“If I wasn’t real familiar with the lake, I would put a flipping stick in my hand and not lay it down,” Neal went on to say. “If you can keep the mentality that you’re fishing for just six or seven bites throughout the day and stay committed, you’ll come out with a solid bag.”
Anglers will take off from the Dayton Boat Dock, located at 175 Lakeshore St. in Dayton, at 7 a.m. EDT Saturday. Weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public.
Schools are allowed to register up until the morning of the tournament. Entries may be made either by phone or at CollegeFishing.com.
Schools currently registered to compete in the Lake Chickamauga tournament, which is hosted by the Rhea Economic and Tourism Council and Fish Dayton, include:
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College – Taylor Thompson, Kennesaw, Ga., and Blake Yarbrough, Fitzgerald, Ga.
Air University – Triston Crowder, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., and Lake Blasingame, Florence, Ala.
Auburn University – Ethan Hayes, Auburn, Ala., and Cole Burdeshaw, Newville, Ala.
Austin Peay State University – Michael Hulsey and Bryce Newsome, both of Clarksville, Tenn.
Bethel University – Kyler Chelminiak, Franklin, Wis., and Alec Piekarski, Greenfield, Wis.
Bethel University – Brian Pahl, Wildwood, Mo., and John Coble Garrett, Union City, Tenn.
Calhoun Community College – Denver Satterlee and Jonathon Tilley, both of Athens, Ala.
Calhoun Community College – Zane Loveday, Decatur, Ala., and Bradley Lynn, Athens, Ala.
Clemson University – Baylor Ronemus, Augusta, Ga., and Cole Tinsley, Charleston, S.C.
Coastal Carolina University – John Duarte and Jonathan Kelley, both of Middle River, Md.
Darton State College – Dalton Dedge, Leesburg, Ga., and Kyle Sellers, Lumpkin, Ga.
Daytona State College – Thomas Oltorik and James Oltorik, both of Deland, Fla.
Faulkner University – Joseph Lacy and Breanna Wyatt, both of Pell City, Ala.
Georgia Southern University – Tyler Wilson, Brooklet, Ga., and Ryan Kent, Waynesboro, Ga.
Haywood Community College – Justin St. Onge and Ryan McLaughlin, both of Fairview, N.C.
Haywood Community College – Logan Exum, Murphy, N.C., and Adam Powell, Nebo, N.C.
Jefferson State Community College – Hayden Bartee, Pell City, Ala., and Zeke Gossett, Cropwell, Ala.
Lander University – Collin Smith, Honea Path, S.C., and Trevor Stewart, Boiling Springs, S.C.
Middle Tennessee State University – Austin Wyatt, Gladeville, Tenn., and Mekiah Jack, Mount Juliet, Tenn.
Mississippi State University – Cody Peak, Centreville, Miss., and Joseph Marty, Starkville, Miss.
Mississippi State University – Kyle Alford, Brandon, Miss.
Newberry College – Kyle Corey, Prosperity, S.C., and Kyle Jordan, Rock Hill, S.C.
Polk State College – Trever Stephens, Auburndale, Fla., and Austin Bell, Winter Haven, Fla.
Polk State College – Kyle Stafford, Lakeland, Fla., and Willard Wooten, Bartow, Fla.
Roane State Community College – Tavin Napier and Kyler Hagler, both of Rockwood, Tenn.
Stetson University – Braden Mattingly, Perry, Fla., and Collin Settnek, Marienville, Pa.
Tennessee Technological University – Dalton Summers and Jesse Garren, both of Lenoir City, Tenn.
Tennessee Technological University – Dylan Fehr, Crossville, Tenn., and Derick Robinson, Greenback, Tenn.
Tennessee Technological University – Travis Howard, Sparta, Tenn., and Daniel Holt, Maryville, Tenn.
Tennessee Technological University – Wilson Tanksley, Crossville, Tenn., and Matthew Howard, Sparta, Tenn.
University of Alabama – Lee Mattox, Cullman, Ala., and Anderson Aldag, Birmingham, Ala.
University of Central Florida – Caleb Bundy, Lake City, Fla., and Jake Carter, Clermont, Fla.
University of Georgia – Cody Billings, Loganville, Ga., and Daulton Smith, Dacula, Ga.
University of Georgia – Bayne Miller and Freeman Edwards, both of Buford, Ga.
University of Georgia – Jordan Parisian, Alpharetta, Ga., and Collin Chandler, Donalsonville, Ga.
University of Georgia – Wesley Griner, Leesburg, Ga., and Nathan Ragsdale, Fayetteville, Ga.
University of Montevallo – Jeffrey Mills, Pelham, Ala., and Brady Vernon, Birmingham, Ala.
University of Montevallo – J.T. Russell, McCalla, Ala., and Tyler Howard, Pelham, Ala.
University of North Alabama – Dawson Lenz, Peachtree City, Ga., and Evan Horne, Florence, Ala.
University of North Alabama – Evan Bernas, El Paso, Texas, and Matthew Uptain, Harvest, Texas
University of North Alabama – Hunter Haney, Town Creek, Ala., and Andrew Tate, Florence, Ala.
University of North Alabama – Luke Mason, Somerville, Ala., and Matthew Reyer, Elkmont, Ala.
University of North Georgia – Reid Daniel, Flowery Branch, Ga., and Ben Adams, Buford, Ga.
University of South Carolina – Nick Schwarzenberg, Fredrick, Mo., and Zack Catoe, Lancaster, S.C.
University of South Carolina – Trevor Gann, Huntersville, N.C., and Aaron Fewell, Winfield, W.Va.
University of South Carolina Upstate – Blake Thompson, Chesnee, S.C., and Quinn Graybill, Spartanburg, S.C.
University of South Carolina Upstate – Brett Bryant, Simpsonville, S.C., and Joshua Rowland, Greer, S.C.
University of Tennessee – Joe Stocstill, Lewisburg, Tenn., and Sam Abernathy, Pulaski, Tenn.
University of Tennessee – Will Harrison and Ben Bates, both of Pulaski, Tenn.
University of Tennessee-Chattanooga – Robbie Moore, Chattanooga, Tenn., and E.J. Crutcher, Hixson, Tenn.
University of Tennessee-Martin – Brandon Koon, Jackson, Tenn., and Kenneth Parks, Martin, Tenn.
University of West Alabama – Austin Tubbs, Selma, Ala., and Trent Humber, Caledonia, Miss.
Valdosta State University – Max Gresham, Milner, Ga., and Cody Cleary, Dalton, Ga.
Wake Forest University – Ryan Edwards, Stuart, Fla., and Lance Berry, Charlotte, N.C.
Wake Forest University – Taylor Haberle, Winston-Salem, N.C., and Samuel Smith, Marietta, Ga.
Wallace State Community College – Ryan Shields, New Market, Ala., and Bronson Jones, Arab, Ala.
Western Carolina University – Cameron Crisp, Mills River, N.C., and Jacob Boyd, Canton, N.C.
Western Carolina University – Christopher Greene, Mooresboro, N.C., and Robert Hendrick, Fairview, N.C.
Western Carolina University – Jason Ashe, Cullowheee, N.C., and Alex Walsh, Robbinsville, N.C.
FLW College Fishing teams compete in regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top 10 teams from each regular-season tournament will advance to the 2017 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a fishing club recognized by their college or university.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit CollegeFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
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 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico and South Korea. 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.
By: Joe Opager, Director of Public Relations
