National Guard FLW College Fishing Western Division Heads to California’s Lake Shasta

Redding, CA– National Guard FLW College Fishing is headed to Lake Shasta Jan. 28 for the first of four stops in the Western Division. Forty college teams from the across the region will be competing for a top award of $5,000.

“Fishing is good right now but the fish are small,” said FLW EverStart pro Jeff Michels of Lakehead, Calif., who is the 2011 EverStart Lake Shasta champion. “Everything is going to change this week with the big storm that is predicted to hit today and last through the weekend. The lake has been steadily dropping all winter and it is crystal clear. This rain will cause huge fluctuations in lake depths and will add color to the water, changing conditions completely.

“The fish right now are scattered all over the lake. The bass can be found anywhere from 0 to 100 feet,” Michels continued. “Weather is going to be key. The wind and rain will improve the bite; the heavier the rain the better. If it is overcast I would concentrate in the first 15 feet of water. If it is bright and sunny I would start in 15 to 30 feet of water and then move either shallow or deep depending on what kind of a bite there is.

“If they can figure out a swimbait bite weights will definitely be increased. I would say it is going to take about 16 or 17 pounds to win. If it stays warm and sunny worms and jigs will work best, but the winning weight is only going to be about 11 pounds. Wind and rain is what they really want for this tournament.”

Anglers will take off from Bridge Bay Resort located at 10300 Bridge Bay Road in Redding, Calif., at 7 a.m. Saturday. Weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 1 p.m. Takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public.

Schools competing in the Lake Shasta tournament, which is being hosted by the Redding Convention & Visitors Bureau, include:

• Arizona State University – Ashtin Fitzwater, Chandler, Ariz., and Kyle Keegan, Tempe, Ariz.
• Arizona State University – Doug Coplan, Jr. and Chris Fairbanks, both of Mesa, Ariz.
• Arizona State University – Mark Walker, Cave Creek, Ariz., and Joseph Jarrell, Phoenix, Ariz.
• Boise State University – Jared Spickelmier, Boise, Idaho, and Jacob Leanna, Menominee, Mich.
• Boise State University – Justin Baker and Michael Zawacki, both of Boise, Idaho
• California Polytechnic – John Zeolla, Oak Park, Calif., and Kyle Greenlaw, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
• California Polytechnic – Russ Gruener and Patrick Monson, both of San Luis Obispo, Calif.
• California State University-Long Beach – Alex Cox and Justin Gangel, both of Long Beach, Calif.
• California State University-Monterey Bay – Andrew Sjostrom and Joshua Smith, both of Seaside, Calif.
• California State University-Monterey Bay – Arik Anastasiou, Seaside, Calif., and Sebastian Resendiz, Castroville, Calif.
• Chico State – Anthony Dayton and Frank Vogt, both of Chico, Calif.
• Chico State – Garrett Clark, Chico, Calif., and Daniel Figueroa, Santa Maria, Calif.
• Chico State – Michael Braswell and Bo Harkins, both of Chico, Calif.
• Colorado State University – Keane Velez and Chris Sabina, both of Fort Collins, Colo.
• Eastern Washington University – Jarred Walker, Cheney, Wash., and Robert Trukositz, Spokane, Wash.
• Eastern Washington University – Jesse Squires and Nick Barr, both of Cheney, Wash.
• Fresno State – Joao Lopes and Demetri Filios, both of Fresno, Calif.
• Fresno State – Trey Kopacz and Shai Van Gelder, both of Fresno, Calif.
• Humboldt State University – Hideaki Kubo, Arcata, Calif., and Ben Smith, Samoa, Calif.
• Humboldt State University – Jen Edgar, Arcata, Calif., and Derrick Hicks, Lincoln, Calif.
• Humboldt State University – Joe Won, Arcata, Calif., and Shaun Maki, Chino Hills, Calif.
• Northern Arizona University – Nicole Albright and Brent Perkins, both of Phoenix, Ariz.
• Oregon State University – Zach MacDonald, Willits, Calif., and William Sparks, Corvallis, Ore.
• Sacramento State – Kyle Derbish and Greg Taluban, both of Sacramento, Calif.
• Sacramento State – Travis Kuhn and Chase King, both of Lodi, Calif.
• Sacramento State – Tyler Meuchel, Sacramento, Calif., and Alec Brassington, Roseville, Calif.
• San José State University – Jamel Johnson, Davis, Calif., and Anthony Lee, San José, Calif.
• Sonoma State University – Adrien Briens, Carlsbad, Calif., and Drew White, Danville, Calif.
• Sonoma State University – Brendan Castro, Lafayette, Calif., and Brandon Fischer, Rohnert Park, Calif.
• University of California-Davis – Christopher Beck, Diamond Springs, Calif., and Jason Moon, Pleasant Hill, Calif.
• University of California-Davis – Philip Choy, Lafayette, Calif., and Kousei Perales, Bakersfield, Calif.
• University of California-Santa Cruz – Chris Rhoden and Sam Sayad, both of Santa Cruz, Calif.
• University of California-Santa Cruz – Yoshi Van Gelder, Santa Cruz, Calif., and Tyler Brownell, Chula Vista, Calif.
• University of Nevada-Reno – Anthony Milano, Reno, Nev., and Brandon Cramer, Petaluma, Calif.
• University of Nevada-Reno – Brandon Murphy, Reno, Nev., and Jared Malone, Sonora, Calif.
• University of Oregon – Kyle Schneider, Beaverton, Ore., and David Wilson, Carmichael, Calif.
• University of Oregon – Spencer Griffin, Lake Oswego, Ore., and Jacob Bliss, Sunnyvale, Calif.
• University of Oregon – William Crowl, Eugene, Ore., and Zachary Niesen, Mill Valley, Calif.
• University of the Pacific – Sean Widger, Tracy, Calif., and Garrett Brown, Stockton, Calif.
• Utah Valley University – Weston Brierley, Orem, Utah, and Clif Gallagher, Eagle Mountain, Utah

The top five teams from each tournament will qualify for the regional championship where the first-place team wins a Ranger 177TR bass boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard wrapped in school colors. The top five teams from each regional tournament advance to the national championship where the first-place team wins $25,000 for their school and $50,000 cash plus a Ranger 177TR bass boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard wrapped in school colors for their fishing club.

College Fishing is free to enter and FLW provides boats and drivers for each competing team along with travel allowances. All participants must be registered, full-time undergraduate students at a four-year college or university and members of a fishing club recognized by their college or university.

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.