YETI FLW College Fishing will continue the 2018 fishing season with an event July 28 on the Mississippi River in Wabasha presented by Costa. The tournament, hosted by the Wabasha-Kellogg Chamber of Commerce & Convention and Visitors Bureau, is the second of three regular-season events for anglers in the Central Conference, and will feature a top prize of a $2,000 club scholarship and an invitation to compete in the 2019 College Fishing National Championship.
“This is going to be a really fun event for the college anglers,” said FLW Tour pro Austin Felix of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, a two-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier. “Pool No. 4 is loaded with fish – just as much as La Crosse and Prairie du Chien – and they aren’t nearly as pressured. I expect that the majority of the fish weighed in this event will be largemouth.”
Although the anglers will be launching in Pool No. 4, the teams are allowed to lock up or down one pool. Felix said that he expects that most teams will be heading south.
“The majority of the field will be fishing below Lake Pepin on Pools 4 and 5,” Felix said. “The fish will be pulling out near the main river, but still in the grass. Carolina rigs, frogs and swimjigs will all be good bets. About 90-percent of what I throw in the river is black- or white-colored, but if the water clarity is very clear then green pumpkin with chartreuse tails will be productive, too.
“The bass on the river are extremely aggressive, so if you’re not getting bites than you need to keep moving,” he continued. “Cover a lot of water, and don’t spend too much time in one area looking for them if they’re not biting.”
Felix went on to predict that the tournament winners would bring a limit weighing 17 to 19 pounds to the scale.
Competitors will take off from the Wabasha City Ramp at Izaak Walton Park, located at 707 4th St. W., in Wabasha, at 7:30 a.m. CDT Saturday. Weigh-in will be held at the Park 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 include:
Bemidji State University – Austin Mau and Isaac Johnson, both of Bemidji, Minn.
Bemidji State University – Ben Donnelly, Woodbury, Minn., and Benjamin Johnson, Bemidji, Minn.
Bemidji State University – Lincoln Horsman, Wabasha, Minn., and Travis Rotzien, Bemidji, Minn.
Bemidji State University – Mitchell Swanson and Thor Swanson, both of Blaine, Minn.
Campbellsville University – Adam Carman, Berea, Ky., and Hunter Adams, Campbellsville, Ky.
Campbellsville University – Gavin Barnes and Ezra Oliver, both of Campbellsville, Ky.
Central College – Cameron Timok, Glen Allen, Va., and Dillon Peters, Urbandale, Iowa
Greenville University – Christopher Brooks, Greenville, Ill., and Cordell Beckmann, Breese, Ill.
Greenville University – Ricky Huge, Carlyle, Ill., and Evan Seggerman, Minonk, Ill.
Illinois State University – Tyler Rocke, Peoria, Ill., and Justin Schick, Morton, Ill.
Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne – Kyle Mast, Millersburg, Ind., and Austin Lutz, Syracuse, Ind.
Iowa State University – Pat Morrison, Omaha, Neb., and Matt Blair, Ames, Iowa
Lewis University – Joe Skvarla, Tinley Park, Ill., and Zachary Spesia, Coal City, Ill.
McKendree University – Trevor McKinney, Benton, Ill., and Curtis Lilly, Sterling, Ill.
McKendree University – Shane Campbell, Highland, Ill., and Ethan Jones, Worden, Ill.
McKendree University – Jacob Louis, Pinckneyville, Ill., and Nathan Doty, Decatur, Ill.
Missouri State University – Robert Moody, Purdy, Mo., and Matt Fielder, High Ridge, Mo.
Northwest Missouri State University – Blake Charboneau, Desloge, Mo., and Nathan Itao, Platte City, Mo.
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville – Bryce Peters, Camp Point, Ill., and Matt Fors, Batavia, Ill.
St. Ambrose University – Tanner Atkinson, Camanche, Iowa, and Anna Kvidera, Dysart, Iowa
St. Cloud State University – Aidan Hansen, St. Cloud, Minn., and Mitchell Evans, Albert Lea, Minn.
St. Cloud State University – Taylor Mazur, Maplewood, Minn., and Dallas Pearson, Milaca, Minn.
University of Nebraska – Charlie Deshazer, Fremont, Neb., and Jonah Blackburn, Lincoln, Neb.
University of North Dakota – Zachery Oldre, Lakeville, Minn., and Noah Levesseur, Prior Lake, Minn.
University of Wisconsin – Alexander Lemke, Green Bay, Wis., and Dylan Peckham, Lodi, Wis.
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay – Connor Kupsh, De Pere, Wis., and Matthew Murphy, Hastings, Minn.
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse – Brady Fernette, Prairie du Chien, Wis., and Kilian Boland, Gays Mills, WIs.
University of Wisconsin-Platteville – Alec Garrison, Winthrop Harbor, Ill., and Zach Clisch, Reedsburg, Wis.
University of Wisconsin-Platteville – Blake Lawston and Jonathan Koenen, both of Rushford, Minn.
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point – Jayden Schmitz and Dakota Koepp, both of Pewaukee, Wis.
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point – Brad Hamilton and Gavin Clayton, both of Palatine, Ill.
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point – Reed Fredrick, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., and Nick Dagel, Round Lake Beach, Ill.
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater – Ross Phelps, Edgerton, Wis., and Collin Cropp, Janesville, Wis.
Winona State University – Mason Garin, Spring Valley, Wis., and Aric Avestruz, River Falls, Wis.
Winona State University – Tyler Berg, Rushford, Minn., and Patrick Andrade, Winona, Minn.
YETI FLW College Fishing teams compete in three 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 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats. The location of the 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship will be revealed in early fall.
YETI FLW 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 that is recognized by their school.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com.
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 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, and South Africa. 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
