| WHAT: | The 2012 Walmart BFL season continues with six tournaments on Saturday, April 28. The Buckeye division opens its season on Indian Lake, the Choo Choo division continues on Lake Guntersville, the Cowboy division hits the Atchafalaya Basin, the Mississippi division competes on Columbus Pool, the Music City division continues on Lake Barkley and the Savannah River division visits Lake Russell. Up to 400 boaters and co-anglers will be competing in each event for top awards up to $8,000 and $3,000 respectively. |
|---|---|
| WHEN: | Saturday, April 28, 2012 |
| WHERE: | Buckeye Division – Indian Lake Indian Lake State Park – Moundwood Ramp 12774 State Rt. 235 North Lakeview, Ohio |
| NOTES: | Indian Lake is warming up, and the bass should be in multiple different spawning phases during this tournament. Recent reports have the water temperature at 64 degrees, and water clarity is slightly stained. Anglers in this tournament will be targeting the shallow trees and cover on the banks, and also the deeper water near the channels and creek beds. Multiple presentations will be used – crankbaits, spinnerbaits and jigs will all be used by anglers. Winning weights should near the 20-pound mark. |
| WHERE: | Choo Choo Division – Lake Guntersville Waterfront Tackle & Grill at Goose Pond 417 Ed Hembree Drive – Scottsboro, Ala. Hosted by the Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce |
| NOTES: | No real changes to report on Lake Guntersville, as it remains one of the hottest fisheries in the United States. Most of the bass have moved off of the beds and are heading to deeper water, but there are still a few stubborn bass that are being found shallow. Tournament anglers should target the grassy areas from 2 to 6 feet or the deeper structure from 7 to 20 feet. Success is being reported using a variety of different baits. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits and swimming jigs will all be thrown in this tournament, as well as the Alabama rig. |
| WHERE: | Cowboy Division – Atchafalaya Basin Belle River Landing – Highway 70 North Belle River, La. |
| NOTES: | The largest active river delta in North America, the Atchafalaya Basin has been known as an extremely challenging fishery for some tournament anglers, as the water level has an effect on where exactly anglers should target. Soft plastics and spinnerbaits will be popular, but pitching and flipping a jig can also produce large bass on this swamp. Atchafalaya offers so many different types of structure and cover that the angler who figures out what areas to target at what water level will win this tournament. |
| WHERE: | Mississippi Division – Columbus Pool Columbus Marina- 295 Marina Drive Columbus, Miss. Hosted by the Columb us/Lowndes County Convention & Visitors Bureau |
| NOTES: | Fishing on the Columbus Pool has been very good as of late as far as sheer numbers go, but the bigger bites have been a little harder to find. The bass are in multiple spawning phasess and being found both shallow and deep. Anglers are having the most success using spinnerbaits and Senko worms, and should be targeting the structure near the river ledges and channels. A larger bait such as a swimbait or crankbait may find the larger bass needed to win this event. |
| WHERE: | Music City Division – Lake Barkley Lick Creek City Boat Ramp Colson Road Dover, Tenn. |
| NOTES: | Most of the Lake Barkley bass will be in multiple spawning phasess during this event, as the recent cool weather has pushed the fish off of the beds and back down into deeper water. Some have already spawned, but most have not. Water temperature is being reported in the mid 60-degree range, and the water is 2 1/2 feet below pool level. Anglers should target the ledges, as well as the banks and points in the bays and near creeks. Popular baits thrown in this event will be shaky-head rigs, jigs and swimbaits. As the weather continues to warm, the fish will move back up to the banks and could change the strategy of the tournament anglers. |
| WHERE: | Savannah River Division – Lake Russell Richard B. Russell State Park – 2650 Russell State Park Road Elberton, Ga. Hosted by the Elbert County Chamber of Commerce |
| NOTES: | Bass fishing on Lake Russell is good right now, as the water is being reported as clear and in the lower 70-degree range. Most of the bass have already spawned on Russell and moved off of the spawning beds, but there are still some late spawners left. Most bass that have spawned have not moved really deep however, and can still be found off of the points near the creeks and coves. Soft plastics, spinnerbaits and jigs should be popular among our tournament anglers, and the winning angler can expect to have around 15 to 16 pounds. |
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. The 2012 BFL All-American is being held May 17 – 19 on the Potomac River in National Harbor, Md. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
ABOUT FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing unparalleled fishing resources and entertainment to our sponsors, fans and host communities. FLW is offering anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2012 over the course of 191 tournaments across five tournament circuits, each providing an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water,” through a variety of platforms including tournaments, outdoor expos and the world’s richest fantasy sports game – FLW Fantasy Fishing. For more information about FLW and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit the FLWOutdoors or FantasyFishing websites and look for FLW on Twitter and Facebook.By: Joe Opager, Communications Specialist
