LAKE GUNTERSVILLE READIES FOR WEEKEND OF FLW YOUTH BASS-FISHING TOURNAMENTS
YETI FLW College Fishing tournament set for Friday, Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Open tournament to follow Saturday
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GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (Feb. 19, 2019) – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) is set to visit the Guntersville area next week, March 1-2, with the YETI FLW College Fishing event at Lake Guntersville presented by Bass Pro Shops and the Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Open at Lake Guntersville presented by Costa. The tournaments, hosted by the Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau, will showcase some of the top young anglers from across the region competing for cash and prizes and angling for their chance to advance to the FLW College Fishing National Championship and High School Fishing National Championship events.
“The x-factor in these tournaments is going to be the weather,” said FLW Tour pro Jay Kendrick of Grant, Alabama, who has three top-10 finishes on Lake Guntersville in FLW competition. “We’ve got a big system moving through that is dumping 4 to 8 inches of rain and the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) are warning people about being on the water through this weekend. It should clear out by the time the tournaments roll into town, but it will change things dramatically for the young anglers.
“That being said, it’s still Lake Guntersville, it’s still February and they still live here,” Kendrick continued. “This is the time of year that we start to see the 30+ pound limits. Last weekend a local angler caught a 13½-pounder on a swimbait. The giants are starting to show up.”
Kendrick predicted that the winning weight for each tournament would likely still be around 25 to 27 pounds, and suggested that the young anglers look for areas that have the least amount of run-in and find the cleaner water.
“I think that areas that have the cleanest water will likely be the most productive,” Kendrick said. “As a general rule, stay out of areas that have the big creeks running into them. Look for the areas that have very little run-in, adjacent to spawning flats with access to deep water close.”
Kendrick said that he expects squarebill crankbaits, swimbaits, lipless crankbaits, and ChatterBaits to all play a role for anglers next week.
“The fish are really ganged up right now, and with all of the current it’s going to push them even tighter,” Kendrick went on to say. “You can fish for miles and not get a bite, then load the boat with 25 pounds from an area as big as the size of the hood of your truck. My advice is that when you do get a bite, stay awhile.”
The college anglers will kick off competition on Friday, March 1, at 7 a.m. CST at Lake Guntersville State Park, located at 7699 Alabama Highway 227 in Guntersville. The weigh-in will be held at the State Park Friday at 3 p.m. The high school anglers will then compete on Saturday, launching at 7 a.m. from the State Park and weighing in at 3 p.m. All takeoffs and weigh-ins are free to attend and open to the public, and will be streamed live online at FLWFishing.com.
YETI FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. 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. The top 10 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 2020 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 Potomac River and Marbury, Maryland, will play host to the 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship, June 4-6, 2019.
The Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Open tournaments are free, two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and open to any FLW and Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school clubs. The top 10 percent of teams at each Open event along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships will advance to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick Lake in June. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow YETI FLW College Fishing and the Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Opens at Facebook, Twitter, Instagra