YETI FLW College Fishing Open

FLW College Fishing is set to return to FLW’s home waters, March 12-13 for the fifth annual YETI FLW College Fishing Open at Kentucky and Barkley Lakes. The tournament, hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau and Moors Resort & Marina, allows registration from any eligible college team from across the United States, regardless of division. Anglers who finish within the top 20, along with one additional team for every 10 teams over 200 competing, will automatically qualify for the 2020 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship, and the champions will take home a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 115-horsepower outboard – a $30,000 package.

The annual FLW College Fishing Open is widely known as one of the largest college fishing tournaments in the nation – last year’s event drew 216 teams from across the country. Another huge field is expected for the 2019 event, with many of the future stars of tomorrow competing, including record-setting 5-time College Fishing National Championship qualifier K.J. Queen from Bethel University and Kash Daniel, star linebacker for the University of Kentucky, who will be taking his talents from the gridiron to the water to compete for the UK bass-fishing team.

“From what I’ve heard, the lake is supposed to start dropping a foot a day, so barring any more rain, they should be fishing falling water,” said Rapala pro Terry Bolton of Benton, Kentucky, a 24-year FLW Tour veteran. “The lake has been high for a while and I think that will create some opportunities. There should be heavy current generation, so it will be about finding little eddies and bars and points where those fish can stack up. My guess is the winning team will probably find one spot and that’s all they’ll need, and they’ll catch most of their weight in one place first thing in the morning.

“Overall, I think it’s probably going to be dominated by crankbaits, like a [Rapala] DT10 or DT6, big spinnerbaits, and even an umbrella rig. With the color of water, I still think it’s going to be a moving-bait type tournament,” said Bolton. “You may see a jig play a little bit. The jerkbait bite may be a little tough with the color of the water, but we’ll see what happens as the water falls, it may clear up creeks and other areas.” The longtime Tour pro finished by saying he predicts the winning duo will have a two-day catch weighing 42 pounds.