The FLW American Fishing Series is headed to Pickwick Lake Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 for the final stop in the Southeast Division series. As many as 300 pro and co-anglers will be competing for top awards up to $25,000 plus a Ranger boat with an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard motor and up to $15,000, respectively.
“This should be a good tournament,” said National Guard pro Jonathan Newton of Rogersville, Ala., who has a win and three top-10 finishes on Pickwick Lake. “There are so many variables that are going to come in to play and really challenge the anglers that it will be a really fun tournament to fish.
“It has still been unusually hot here so the fall transition may be delayed,” Newton went on to say. “The current is definitely going to be a key factor in this tournament; the more current the better. There should be a good topwater bite in the morning and then I would switch to a jig or crankbait in the late morning/early afternoon.”
Anglers will take off from McFarland Park located at 200 James M. Spain Drive in Florence, Ala., at 6:30 each morning. Thursday and Friday weigh-ins also will be held at McFarland Park beginning at 2 p.m. while Saturday’s final weigh-in will be at Bentley Chevrolet Cadillac located at 1950 Florence Boulevard in Florence beginning at 2:30 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The Pickwick Lake American Fishing Series tournament is being hosted by Florence/Lauderdale Tourism.
Pros will fish for a top award of $25,000 plus a 198VX Ranger boat with 200-horsepower outboard if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Co-anglers will cast for a top award of $10,000. If the co-angler meets the Ranger Cup guidelines, they will earn an additional $5,000.
The American Fishing Series consists of four divisions – Central, Northern, Southeast and Texas. Each division will consist of three tournaments and competitors will be vying for valuable points that could earn them a trip to the American Fishing Series Invitational on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala., Nov. 4-6. The points champion from each division will qualify for the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup and a fifth Forrest Wood Cup qualifier will advance from the Invitational that is open to the top 50 anglers from each division.
ABOUT FLW OUTDOORS
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 189 tournaments in 2010. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, call (270) 252-1000.By: Julie Huber,
