Simpson University Wins College Fishing Tournament on Lake Havasu

LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. (May 6, 2024) – The Simpson University duo of Landon Ford of Rescue, California, and James Hawkinson of Granite Bay, California, won the College Fishing tournament on Lake Havasu Sunday with a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 2 ounces. The victory earned the Red Hawks’ bass club a qualification into the 2025 MLF College Fishing National Championship.

According to Ford, a combination of presentations and “a lot of junk-fishing” got it done for the Red Hawks.

“Practice was a little rough for us,” said Ford. “On the second day we stumbled on a couple of bed fish. First thing this morning, we ran there and caught one. It was our big fish. It was just over 4 (pounds). And then my partner caught two on a glide bait. Then we just kind of needed to fill a limit, so we went down a bank with a drop-shot and filled our limit and culled a couple times.”

They spent the tournament in the mid-lake section of Havasu. That’s where the best water temperature was, said Hawkinson.

Their key baits included a Deps Slide Swimmer 250 glide bait. Switching from slower moving baits to the glider was key for triggering strikes. The drop-shot was rigged with a 4-inch Keitech Easy Shiner Swimbait. Adding Pro Cure scent to their presentations helped convert short strikes into solid bites.

“We were fishing the drop-shot on random points with gravel bottoms mixed with grass,” Hawkinson added. “The swimbait was the only way we were able to get them to go on the drop-shot.”

The top five College Fishing teams on Lake Havasu finished:

1st: Simpson University – Landon Ford, Rescue, Calif., and James Hawkinson, Granite Bay, Calif., five bass, 15-2
2nd: Simpson University – Aiden Grad, Pasco, Wash., and David Berry, Palm Desert, Calif., five bass, 13-9
3rd: Simpson University – Dylan Grad, Pasco, Wash., and Brennan Osborn, Beaverton, Ore., five bass, 13-7
4th: Fresno State – Seth Moua and Kent Moua, both of Fresno, Calif., five bass, 13-2
5th: University of Idaho – Ethan Leininger, Vina, Calif., four bass, 10-11

The full list of National Championship qualifiers and complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.