College bass fishing

College bass fishing is competitive bass fishing that is played by teams from universities and colleges. The NCAA is not involved in college bass fishing, allowing teams to use sponsorships to their advantage and keep their winnings. College bass fishing consists of mostly club teams, but there are a select few varsity bass fishing programs. There are an estimated 610 college bass fishing teams in the United States. The major college bass fishing tournament series are the FLW Outdoors College Series, Boat U.S. Bass Pro Shops College Bass Fishing Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Bass Fishing Series, and the Fishlife Collegiate Tour.

History

The first known college bass fishing tournament took place at Lake Monroe, Indiana on April 18, 1992 between Purdue University and Indiana University. Purdue won the tournament by three pounds. Some of the historically most successful college bass fishing teams are Auburn University, Murray State University, Bethel University, University of Florida, Virginia Tech, University of Georgia, North Carolina State University, Louisiana State University, and the University of Illinois. College bass fishing is a growing college sport and in recent years, some schools have even started varsity programs, such as Adrian College in Michigan and Campbellsville University in Kentucky. These schools are both the first varsity college bass fishing programs in their state. The University of Delaware Bass Fishing Team was the first collegiate bass fishing team in the state of Delaware.

Official rules and scoring

Two fisherman allowed per boat
Bass kept must be at least 12 inches in length (depending on the lake)
Five bass limit allowed per team at weigh in (largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, are the only species accepted)
.25 ounces deducted for each dead bass weighed in
One pound deducted for each short bass weighed in
One pound deducted for every minute late after weigh-in deadline time
Greatest overall weight of bass limit wins the event

Different tournament series, divisions, regionals, and tournaments

Abu Garcia College Fishing

In 2020, Abu Garcia, a fishing brand manufacturer, assumed title sponsorship of the FLW College Fishing circuit.^[1]

Central Division
Northern Division
Southeastern Division
Southern Division
Western Division
Open
Championship

Carhartt Bassmaster College Series

Southern Regional
Central Regional
Eastern Regional
Western Regional
Midwestern Regional
Wild Card

Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing Series

Collegiate Big Bass Bash
Collegiate Bass Fishing Open
Collegiate Bass Fishing Shootout
Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship

Championships

Abu Garcia College Fishing Championships

Known as FLW College Series before 2020

2010: University of Florida
2011: University of Florida
2012: Kansas State University
2013: University of Louisiana Monroe
2014: University of Minnesota
2015: University of South Carolina
2016: University of South Carolina
2017: Kansas State University
2018: University of Louisiana Monroe
2019: Murray State University
2020: Stephen F. Austin State University

Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing Series

2006: North Carolina State University
2007: University of Kansas^{[dubious – discuss]}
2008: Texas A&M^{[dubious – discuss]}
2009: Murray State University
2010: Tarleton State University^{[dubious – discuss]}
2011: University of Arkansas^{[dubious – discuss]}
2012: North Carolina State University
2013: Bethel University
2014: Lamar University^{[dubious – discuss]}
2015: Northern Kentucky University
2016: Auburn University
2017: University of North Alabama
2018: Bethel University^[2]

The Fishlife Collegiate Tour

2013: Alabama
2014: Alabama/Birmingham Southern

References

^ "Abu Garcia Partners with FLW, MLF Legendary brand becomes title sponsor of FLW College Fishing". Major League Fishing. 6 Feb 2020. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
^ "Association of Collegiate Anglers Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing BoatU.S. Tournament Series Champions". Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship. Retrieved 2018-06-01.

Smallwood, Scott. "Reel world." The Chronicle of Higher Education. 52.38 (2006): A8. General OneFile. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.
"BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Tournament News." BoatUS News. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.
"Campbellsville University Athletics - Green River Lake." Campbellsville University Athletics - Green River Lake. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.
Card, James. "Gone Fishing on Scholarship, With Hopes of Turning Pro." The New York Times. 22 June 2010. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.
"Final Time Around for The Hoosier Duo." IU Bass Fishing RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.
"Fishing League Worldwide." FLW College Fishing. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.
Schonbrun, Zach. "Collegiate Fishing's Added Lure: Cash on the Line." The New York Times. 17 Oct. 2014. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.
"Top 25 College Fishing Teams." Bassmaster. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.
"Tournament Results." Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship -. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.
Gregory, Sean (June 3, 2013). "Want To Get Paid As A College Athlete? Go Fishing". Time.

[1] "Abu Garcia Partners with FLW, MLF Legendary brand becomes title sponsor of FLW College Fishing". Major League Fishing. 6 Feb 2020. Retrieved 2024-03-25.

[2] "Association of Collegiate Anglers Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing BoatU.S. Tournament Series Champions". Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship. Retrieved 2018-06-01.

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