LAKE TEXOMA 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
DENISON, Texas (March 26, 2019) – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) is set to visit the Denison area next week, April 5-6, with the YETI FLW College Fishing event at Lake Texoma presented by Bass Pro Shops and the Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Open at Lake Texoma. The tournaments, hosted by the Denison Area Chamber of Commerce, 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.
“This is going to be a really fun weekend of tournaments to follow,” said FLW Tour pro Tom Redington of Royse City, Texas, who has five career top-10 finishes in FLW competition. “Lake Texoma has had a lot of rain and mud, but everything is settling out. The smallmouth bass were going crazy for a while, but lately it has been kind of hit or miss. If a club can get on them during a tournament, they could absolutely blow it out.
“The problem is that you can find them in practice, then they will be completely gone during the tournament,” Redington said. “But if the conditions are right, we could see a real spring slugfest. If it’s tough, then teams that can catch a limit will do well.”
Redington said that the water levels could also be a wildcard for the tournament anglers. If the levels are up – into the bushes – then spinnerbaits and flipping jigs would be very strong patterns for largemouth. If the levels are down, it could be a grind for anglers looking for shallow fish.
“Fishing the conditions is really going to be the key,” Redington said. “It’s such a diverse fishery, anglers can really choose how they want to fish. You can find it all at Lake Texoma – rocks, bushes, docks, muddy water or clear water. I think jerkbaits, crankbaits and swimbaits are all going to players.
“Lake Texoma can be tough to predict as far as what the winning limit will look like,” Redington went on to say. “If it’s really tough, I’ve seen tournaments where 10 to 12 pounds wins it. But if the bass are really ripping and going, we could easily see some teams break the 20-pound mark. If I caught in the upper teens next weekend – 17 to 18 pounds – I’d really like my chances.”
The college anglers will kick off competition on Friday, April 5, at 7 a.m. CDT at Highport Marina, located at 120 Texoma Harbor Drive in Pottsboro. The weigh-in will be held at the marina on Friday at 3 p.m. The high school anglers will then compete on Saturday, April 6, launching at 7 a.m. from the Highport Marina and weighing in at 2:30 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