CHESAPEAKE BAY 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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BEL AIR, Md. (May 21, 2019) – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) is set to visit Harford County next week, May 31- June 1, with the YETI FLW College Fishing tournament at the Chesapeake Bay presented by Bass Pro Shops and the Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Open at the Chesapeake Bay presented by Costa. The tournaments, hosted by Visit Harford, 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 fishing has been really good on the Chesapeake Bay,” said FLW Tour pro Kurt Mitchell of Milford, Delaware, who has two top-10 finishes in FLW competition. “There isn’t a ton of grass at the moment, but by the time the tournament rolls around the pads and grass will be coming up. Lately they’ve been catching them off of wood and docks. I think the pads will be a big deal, and the grass is always a big player – especially in the Susquehanna Flats.
“The one thing about the Flats is that there are plenty of bass up there but you can spend all day up there and never find them,” Mitchell continued. “The Northeast River has the most bass in it, and it’s easy to catch them. I think both areas will see a lot of competitors in these two events.”
Mitchell predicted that reaction baits would be a strong choice for tournament anglers – swimjigs, ChatterBaits and buzzbaits – and said that if the pads were ready a frog could come into play.
“If I were fishing, I’d have a bluegill-patterned swimjig tied on with a Strike King Rage Menace trailer,” Mitchell said. “The key will be finding the milfoil and hydrilla – the right type of grass.”
Mitchell went on to predict that the winning teams would need to bring 23 to 25 pounds to the scale.
“The Chesapeake Bay has some really big bass in it – I’ve caught a few 30+ pound five-bass limits there,” Mitchell said. “Somebody is going to get on them and I think we’ll see some big bass in these events.”
The college anglers will kick off competition on Friday, May 31, at 6:30 a.m. EDT at Flying Point Park, located at 511 Kennard Ave. in Havre de Grace, Maryland. The weigh-in will be held at the park on Friday at 2:30 p.m. The high school anglers will then compete on Saturday, June 1, launching at 6 a.m. from the park 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