PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wis. (June 28, 2016) – FLW College Fishing is headed to the Mississippi River July 9 for the final stop of 2016 in the Central Conference. A full field of college teams will be competing for a top award of $2,000 and a berth into the 2017 College Fishing National Championship.
“I think the river is going to produce some quality limits for this event,” said Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor, of La Crosse, Wisconsin, a six-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier. “The water is high right now, so fish are going to be up near the bank in the backwaters. In Prairie de Chien, there are a lot of bays that are full of fish, especially close to the takeoff ramp. Those areas are going to see the most action.”
Monsoor said that the strongest patterns will likely include flipping a black and blue-colored jig and throwing a frog.
“They’ll be focusing on bushes, reeds and trees,” said Monsoor. “Texas-rigged soft-plastics will be good. I also see green pumpkin-colored baits doing well if the water is clear.”
Monsoor went on to say that a five-bass limit nearing 17 pounds should be enough to win the tournament.
“Flipping a jig and throwing a frog are going to be hard to beat,” said Monsoor. “There will be a team that catches 17 pounds.”
Anglers will take off from the Washington St. Ramp, located at W. Washington & N. Main in Prairie du Chien, at 6:30 a.m. CDT Saturday. Weigh-in will be held at the ramp beginning at 2:30 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 Mississippi River tournament, which is hosted by the Prairie du Chien Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Council, include:
Bellarmine University – Matthew Smith, Bardstown, Ky., and James Kuhns, Louisville, Ky.
Bellarmine University – Patrick Clark and Trevor Hulsey, both of Louisville, Ky.
Bemidji State University – Thor Swanson and Mitchell Swanson, both of Blaine, Minn.
Eastern Illinois University – Nicole Stevens and John Whalen, both of Champaign, Ill.
Eastern Kentucky University – Shaw Owens and Corey Owens, both of Barbourville, Ky.
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College – Natalie Reichmuth and Ryan Dowell, both of Brandenburg, Ky.
Greenville College – Joseph Seabaugh, Walshville, Ill., and Daniel Weyers, Springfield, Ind.
Greenville College – Ray Hingson, Montrose, Ill., and Daniel Ellenburg, Springfield, Ill.
Iowa State University – Dylan Rague, Carroll, Iowa, and Pat Morrison, Omaha, Neb.
Iowa State University – Zac Beek, Bloomington, Minn., and Zachary Hartley, Minneapolis, Minn.
McKendree University – Brad Wyss, Gardener, Ill., and Brian McClanahan, Elkville, Ill.
McKendree University – Jacob Louis, Pinckneyville, Ill., and J.T. Russell, Marion, Ill.
McKendree University – Shane Campbell, Summerfield, Ill., and Phillip Germagliotti, Highland, Ill.
Missouri State University – Matthew Fielder, Springfield, Mo., and Hayden Lee, Jefferson City, Mo.
Moraine Valley Community College – John Neubauer and Andrew Jensen, both of Oak Lawn, Ill.
Moraine Valley Community College – Kristopher Iodice and Ryan Kwiecinski, both of Oak Forest, Ill.
Saint Ambrose University – Cole Atkinson and Tanner Atkinson, both of Camanche, Iowa
Southern Illinois University – Kyle Schingoethe, Itasca, Ill., and Jordan Thompson, Waverly, Ill.
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville – Alex Mosella, Fort Myers, Fla., and Sean Clarkson, Edwardsville, Ill.
University of Dubuque – Brandon Feldman and Kyle Frommelt, both of Sherrill, Iowa
University of Dubuque – Matt Smith, Harvard, Ill., and Alex Steffen, Cascade, Iowa
University of Illinois – Charlie Sterrett, Naperville, Ill., and Jordan Wolf, Homer, Ill.
University of Notre Dame – Josh Anderson, Los Angeles, Calif., and William Brauer, Edina, Minn.
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh – Michael Anderson, Lake Tomahawk, Wis., and Johnny Moua, Eau Claire, Wis.
University of Wisconsin-Platteville – Grant Stittleburg and Remington Stittleburg, both of Black River Falls, Wis.
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point – Cody Bergerson, Black River Falls, Wis., and Reed Fredrick, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point – Kason Morley, Arkdale, Wis., and Ryan Pinkalla, Eagan, Minn.
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point – Samuel Sobieck, New Prague, Minn., and Connor Graham, Stevens Point, Wis.
University of Wisconsin-Stout – Patrick Rohlfing, Mankato, Minn., and Cole Hefty, Madison, Wis.
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater – Jared Mataczynski, Wausau, Wis., and Steve Nebel, Whitewater, Wis.
FLW College Fishing teams compete in regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 15 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open 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 college fishing club.
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: Brian Johnson, FLW
