2009 FL Collegiate Open

The St. John's River was the site of the 2009 Florida Collegiate Open held on November 14. It proved to be a stingy fishery as only one 5 bass limit was recorded at the weigh-in held at Crystal Cove in Palatka, Florida. The dedicated collegiate anglers competing in this event were faced with nasty weather conditions that included 3-5 foot waves during practice but enjoyed nice weather on tournament day.

3 bass totaling 7.02 pounds was enough to win the tournament for Hank Irion and Noah Grimes of Florida Gulf Coast University. Their winning sack was anchored by a 4.94 pound bass that was more than big enough to claim big bass honors. The team ran north where they targeted bulkheads and eelgrass flats with Skinny Dippers and Senkos.

Here are the complete results:

Florida Gulf Coast University

Hank Iron / Noah Grimes 7.02

4.94 (Big Bass)

Florida Gulf Coast University

Tommy Edwards / Garrett Farmer 6.40

University of Central Florida

Len Gordan / Vince Blake 3.50

University of Central Florida

Miles Burgtoff / Scott Stone 2.08

Columbus State University

Shane Wagoner / Clay Hood DQ (Breakdown Late)

In addition to fishing the event with partner Garrett Farmer and weighing the only 5 bass limit, Tommy Edwards; who is President of the Florida Gulf Coast University bass club also organized the tournament. "The past two weeks were extremely hectic trying to get prepared to both host and compete in the Florida Collegiate Open," said Edwards.

Patrick Mangold who serves as the coach of the University of Central Florida Reel Knights Bass Team recently announced the schedule for the inaugural 2010 Florida Collegiate Bass Series:

March 20 - Spring Break Showdown East Lake Toho

April 10 - Gator Invitational Orange Lake

Sept. 25 - Big Bass Splash Lake Istokpoga

Oct. 16-17 - FCBS Championship Kissimmee Chain

For more information about the Florida Collegiate Bass Series, contact Coach Mangold: Patrick.Mangold@ferguson.com.