FLW ANNOUNCES 2016 FLW COLLEGE FISHING SCHEDULE, RULES, ENTRY DATES

FLW announced today the schedule, rules and entry dates for the 2016 FLW College Fishing season, highlighted by the 2016 College Fishing National Championship hosted by the Mountain Lakes Convention and Visitors Bureau on Lake Keowee in Seneca, South Carolina and the second annual FLW College Fishing Open on Kentucky Lake.

The first FLW College Fishing Open on Kentucky Lake in 2015 was the largest collegiate bass tournament ever assembled when 194 teams from schools around the country competed for a new Ranger bass boat and to finish in the top 10 to qualify for the FLW College Fishing National Championship. New for 2016, the top 15 teams from the Open will now advance to the National Championship.

To ease the travel burden on teams for 2016 FLW eliminated the Conference Championships and will instead advance the top 10 teams from each regular-season qualifying tournament to the FLW College Fishing National Championship. That means 105 more teams will have the opportunity to win a Ranger Z175 boat and send a representative to the Forrest Wood Cup for a shot at the biggest payday in bass fishing, all with lower out-of-pocket expenses. All of the championship action will be internationally televised on NBC Sports Network, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network.

2016 FLW College Fishing Schedule:

FLW College Fishing OPEN

• April 1-2                                Kentucky Lake                     Gilbertsville, Ky.

Central Conference

• April 9                                   Table Rock Lake                 Kimberling City, Mo.
• May 14                                 Lake Barkley                        Kuttawa, Ky.
• July 9                                   Mississippi River                  Prairie du Chien, Wis.        

Northern Conference

• April 23                                 Smith Mountain Lake           Huddleston, Va.
• June 4                                  Potomac River                     Marbury, Md.
• July 23                                 Chautauqua Lake                Bemus Point, N.Y.

Southeastern Conference

• Jan. 30                                 Crescent Lake                     Bunnell, Fla.
• May 21                                 Lake Guntersville                 Guntersville, Ala.
• Sept. 24                                Lake Chickamauga             Dayton, Tenn.

Southern Conference

• Jan. 16                                 Lake Somerville                   Brenham, Texas
• April 30                                 Fort Gibson Lake                 Wagoner, Okla.
• Oct. 8                                   Ouachita River                     Monroe, La.

Western Conference

• Feb. 20                                 Lake Shasta                         Redding, Calif.
• April 23                                 Clear Lake                           Lakeport, Calif.
• May 21                                 California Delta                    Bethel Island, Calif.

FLW College Fishing National Championship

• March 17-19                        Lake Keowee                       Seneca, S.C.

Complete rules can be found online at FLWFishing.com.

Registration for the 2016 season opens Dec. 14, 2015, for teams from clubs represented in the 2015 FLW College Fishing National Championship. All other teams may register beginning Dec. 15, 2015. You can register at FLWFishing.com or by calling 270.252.1000.

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.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit CollegeFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.