As many as 400 pros and co-anglers are ready to compete July 27-29 in the Costa FLW Series Northern Division event on 1000 Islands. The tournament, presented by Evinrude, is the second regular-season event of 2017 scheduled in the Northern Division. Pros will be casting for a top award of up to $44,000 in cash and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
“Overall, 1000 Islands is fishing really well right now,” said FLW Tour pro Chris Johnston, of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, who finished runner-up when the Costa Series visited 1000 Islands in 2016. “The spawn is done and bass are in their summer patterns, which I like because they’ll be spread out.
You’re going to be able to fish your strengths whether it’s deep or shallow.
“In places like Henderson and Chaumont Bays, anglers will be able to do both,” Johnston continued. “For shallower areas reaction baits will be the deal. Jerkbaits and spinnerbaits will be big for covering water and the fish will be aggressive when they find them. The deep-water bite will be strong whether anglers work in the center of the bays or out toward the islands. They will be throwing their favorite soft-plastics on a drop-shot rig.”
Johnston said the St. Lawrence River will also be in play, especially if bad weather moves through the region during the event.
“You may get a nice day, but the wind will blow so hard the next that getting out onto the main lake can be tough,” said Johnston. “You’ve got to have some fish marked in the river for that reason alone. I know a lot of anglers that are weighing 20- to 25-pound limits from the river right now.”
Johnston predicted that it will take a three-day cumulative of 74 pounds to win the event.
“I expect to see a lot more weight this year than when we visited a year ago,” said Johnston. “There aren’t any secret patterns out there. It’s all going to come down to who finds those special sweet spots.”
Anglers will take off from the Clayton Village Ramp, located at 750 Mary St. in Clayton at 6:30 a.m. EDT each day. Weigh-ins will be held at the marina beginning at 2:30 p.m. each day. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public. The event is hosted by the Clayton Chamber of Commerce.
In Costa FLW Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event. At 1000 Islands, pros will fish for as much as $44,000 and a Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard if Ranger Cup qualified. Co-anglers will cast for a Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard and an additional $500 if Ranger Cup qualified.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 2-4 on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 258 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros.
By: Brian Johnson, FLW
