More than 360 pros and co-anglers are set to compete next week, June 7-9, at the Costa FLW Series at Lake Barkley presented by T-H Marine. The tournament, hosted by the Cadiz-Trigg County Tourist and Convention Commission, is the second of three regular-season tournaments scheduled in the FLW Series Central Division. The event will feature anglers competing for a top award of up to $91,000, including a brand new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
“I think it will be primetime offshore fishing over the next couple of weeks,” said FLW Tour veteran Terry Bolton of Paducah, Kentucky, a 13-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier. “It seems like more fish are getting out there each day, and with warm weather being forecast as the week goes on, it’s likely going to be in full effect.
“I think the fish should be getting out of their post-spawn funk and really starting to feed,” Bolton continued. “If they stop biting a crankbait out on the ledges, a guy can pick up a worm, jig or a swimbait and catch a few doing that.”
Bolton said he expects both Barkley and Kentucky lakes to see action during the event.
“That’s the thing about fishing around Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake in early June – it will all be good,” said Bolton. “With the rainfall we’re getting, there’s going to be a little more current which should help bunch those fish up. It’s really going to be a good time to compete.”
Bolton predicted that a three-day cumulative weight total in the 65- to 70-pound range should be enough to take home top honors.
Anglers will take off from Lake Barkley State Resort Park, located at 3500 State Park Road., in Cadiz, at 6 a.m. CDT each day of competition. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park and will begin at 2 p.m. each day. All takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
In Costa FLW Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event. At Lake Barkley pros will fish for a top prize of $91,000, including a brand new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if Ranger Cup qualified. Co-anglers will cast for a brand new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard, and $5,000 if Ranger Cup qualified.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the International division. Each U.S. division consists of three regular-season tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to compete in the season-ending Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2018 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 1-3 on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, and is hosted by the Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
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 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. 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: Joe Opager, Director of Public Relations
