The Red River near Shreveport, Louisiana is the home this week to the College Fishing National Championship.
The FLW College Fishing National Championship is underway in Shreveport, Louisiana, and the tournament will include a local contingent.
Kelly Wells of the Shreveport-Bossier City Sports Commission said the area is known as the “Sportsman’s Paradise.”
“The Red River and Cross Lake are two of the crown jewels of our region and we are excited to partner with FLW on this prestigious championship,” he said.
The Red stretches along 1,360 miles of shoreline through Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana before spilling in the Mississippi River.
Early reports say fishing is going to be pretty tough especially thanks to 2015 and 2106 floods that have dramatically decreased most of submerged vegetation that added to great fishing.
FLW experts also say water temperatures are expected over 85 degrees, also causing some problems.
Two Radford University anglers, Matthew Cooley of Chesterfield and Zach Lemaster of Bedford, are amongst the group of 160 teams that took to the water Thursday.
The duo finished in the top 10 of national qualifier at Smith Mountain Lake earlier this year in order to participate in the college championship.
The Red River has gained national attention as an excellent waterway for fishing and is the second largest river basin in the southern Plains—a great honey hole for Red Bass. The river is also considered a tough route for strangers who might have not ever dealt with such an environment.
In many descriptions and pictures, the Red resembles something a little familiar to Cooley and Lemaster—the New River.
“We had a good practice on the final day, so we have confidence going into the tournament,” Lemaster said.
His angler-teammate expressed similar optimism. “It’s a very tough fishery but we’ve been able to figure them out so we are confident going into the tournament,” Cooley said.
Last year, Kansas State took the trophy with six-time champion, South Carolina, in second.
“We have enjoyed this experience and this is our first time competing in the event,” said Lemaster, who is a senior at RU and is honored to represent the school on such a national stage.
His father is an avid bass fisherman, so success might be hereditary. He has been paired with Cooley since his sophomore year at RU. They are both rising seniors at the school.
The 2018 event awards the top team a $30,000 prize including a Ranger Z-125 boat with a 90-horsepoer outboard engine and an entry into the 2018 Forest Wood Cup. In addition, the winning team will compete against each other this week to determine which individual member will compete as a professional at the Forest Wood Cup.
When quizzed about the possibility of taking the step and becoming a “professional” on the water, Lemaster said he is still contemplating that scenario. “It would be nice to do in the future if it at all possible with funding,” he said.
Cooley also wonders what the next step could mean for him. “The pro tour has always been a thought in my mind. It takes a lot of hard work to get there but I would love to take it to the next level after graduating,” he said.
This week’s tournament is slated to be broadcast on the FLW television shows which airs on the NBC Sports Network, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network (broadcasted to more than 564 million households worldwide).