The team, which was ranked No. 1 among California college fishing teams and No. 98 in the nation after its inaugural season in 2019-2020, has been able to continue competing during the pandemic, with four team members qualifying for the 2021 College Fishing National Championship at tournaments in Clear Lake and the California Delta.

“Launching this annual event will pull double-duty as a fundraising event for the team, as well as giving back to our local community — providing a fun, family-friendly, and competitive experience,” said university bass fishing coach Alex Thiemann. “As we look to build on the early successes of our bass fishing program, we are hoping to add items such as a team boat, on-campus boat storage, and more.”

Organized and run by Phil’s Propellers Team Tournaments, the tournament has an entry fee of $50 per person, with cash prizes and a raffle for items donated by merchants and industry sponsors in support of the university’s bass fishing team. Each boat will constitute a team, and each team has a five-fish limit, 13-inch minimum. The Simpson University bass fishing team, which is not competing in the tournament, will receive 25 percent of the entry fee, with 75 percent paying back to winners. Team members will be at the event to help with check-in, weigh-in, and more.

Check-in will be from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11 at Phil’s Propeller, 3037 Twin View Blvd., in Shasta Lake. Weigh-in will begin at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, at Bridge Bay Resort Marina on the docks. An awards ceremony will immediately follow.

The School of the Year rankings from Bass Pro Shops (Nov. 3) lists Simpson University at No. 52 nationally, the highest listed West Coast college team (some Western teams are not able to compete this season due to COVID-19 restrictions).

In August, Simpson bass fishing team members Sheldon Reese and Taj White placed first in a college fishing tournament in the California Delta; team members Luke Blanchard and Nathan Phillips placed first in a September tournament at Clear Lake. The wins qualified them to compete in the upcoming national championship.

During last year’s season, team members Ryan Beaty and Phillips placed No. 14 in the Yeti FLW College Fishing National Championship, out of 160 teams.

For more information about the Simpson University Fundraising Bass Tournament and to sign up, click here. Interested anglers can also visit Phil’s Propellers to register.

To learn more about the Simpson University bass fishing team, contact coach Thiemann at athiemann@simpsonu.edu. Follow the team on Instagram at SimpsonBass or Facebook at SimpsonBassTeam.

###

Simpson University, a Christian university founded in 1921, moved to Redding 31 years ago and will celebrate its centennial in 2021. In addition to offering 20 majors in its traditional undergraduate program, the university has graduated more than 4,000 North State adults from its degree-completion program, and nearly 3,000 from its School of Education. It has a No. 7-ranked School of Nursing, a seminary, and master’s programs in counseling psychology and organizational leadership.

Simpson University is recognized nationally as one of U.S. News and World Report’s Top 100 Regional Universities West. The university is launching new programs in digital media, computer information systems, and engineering, and recently added athletics programs in track and field, swimming and diving, women’s wrestling, and men’s volleyball, as well as a bass fishing team ranked No. 1 in California and No. 52 in the nation. The university has a highly ranked Veterans Success Center and partnership with the Army National Guard.

Simpson University contributes an estimated $50 million annually to Redding’s economy. It offers aggressive scholarships and is working to better serve transfer students from community colleges through its commitment to Associate Degree for Transfer agreements. Learn more about Simpson University at simpsonu.edu.