YETI FLW College Fishing is headed to Kentucky and Barkley lakes May 20 in an event presented by Bass Pro Shops for the second of three regular-season stops in the Central Conference. College fishing clubs will be casting for $2,000 and an invitation to compete in the 2018 College Fishing National Championship.
“By the time this tournament kicks off, most of the fish will be postspawn and heading out toward the ledges,” said 22-year FLW Tour veteran Terry Bolton of Paducah, Kentucky, who has amassed 31 career top-10 finishes on Kentucky and Barkley lakes. “There may be a few fish shallow that could be caught flipping or with a topwater, but it will predominately be an offshore bite.
“Location wise, I think the entire lake will be in play,” continued Bolton. “For shallow-water specialists, the bite will be down south of Paris Landing, toward New Johnsonville where there are more islands. I see most of the lake producing some good offshore bites. I usually like ledges that are connected to the bank itself, or a point. There should also be some fish out on secondary channels and schooling in the mouths and insides of creeks.”
Bolton said that typical offshore lures including swimbaits, worms, jigs and spoons will be utilized by competitors. He also said that large crankbaits could be popular due to current weather conditions.
“With the amount of rain and high, stained water we have, I think a big crankbait will play a larger role this year than it has in the past,” said Bolton. “Compared to last year, these conditions are just right for them.”
The Kentucky pro said anglers will likely need more than 25 pounds to win this Central Conference event.
“It’s that time of year when a 27- to 30-pound limit could come out of the lake,” said Bolton. “Also, if we continue to get rain in the Tennessee River Valley, the fishing will improve with the stronger current.”
Anglers will take off from Kentucky Dam Marina, located at 466 Marina Drive in Gilbertsville, at 6:30 a.m. CDT Saturday. Weigh-in will be held at the marina 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 Kentucky Lake tournament, which is hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau, include:
Bellarmine University – James Kuhns, Louisville, Ky., and Joseph Allgeier, Bardstown, Ky.
Bellarmine University – Trevor Hulsey and Eric Shinkle, both of Louisville, Ky.
Campbellsville University – Justin Mayfield, Somerset, Ky., and Colby Hays, Somerset, Ky.
Indiana University – Jordan Mullis and Joe Long, both of Bloomington, Ind.
Kansas State University – Sheldon Rogge, Saint George, Kan., and Adam Fuchs, Manhattan, Kan.
Missouri State University – Crosley Welch, Branson, Mo., and Matt Fielder, Springfield, Mo.
Missouri State University – Tyler Ellis, Springfield, Mo., and Hayden Lee, Jefferson City, Mo.
Murray State University – Lance Freeman, Eddyville, Ky., and Cameron Brooks, Greenville, Ky.
Northern Illinois University – Alec Nuccio, Crystal Lake, Ill., and David Warme, Elgin, Ill.
Northwest Missouri State University – Krete Bullington, Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Landon Paul, Fairmont, W. Va.
Savannah College of Art & Design – Katherine Connolly, Baltimore, Md., and Laura Ann Foshee, Gardendale, Ala.
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville – Justin Lowry, Moro, Ill., and Brendan Magruder, Edwardsville, Ill.
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville – Sean Clarkson, Edwardsville, Ill., and Alex Nail, Springfield, Ill.
University of Louisville – Corey Skaggs, Louisville, Ky., and Sam Burke, Fort Michael, Ky.
University of Louisville – Wade Brown, Lanesville, Ind., and Noah Smith, New Albany, Ind.
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse – Eric Ulry, Marshfield, Wis., and Colby Wolff, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh – Michael Anderson, Lake Tomahawk, Wis., and Johnny Moua, Eau Claire, Wis.
Vincennes University – Zachary Bauer, Martinsville, Ind., and Tanner Cheeseman, Bloomington, Ind.
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 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats.
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.
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 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa 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
