WHAT: The 2016 FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament season will begin Saturday, Jan. 9, when the Gator division opens the season on Lake Okeechobee. Up to 400 boaters and co-anglers will be competing for top awards of up to $8,000 and $3,000 respectively in the one-day event.
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016
Gator Division
Lake Okeechobee
C. Scott Driver Park
10100 W. Highway 78
Okeechobee, Fla.
Hosted by Okeechobee County Tourist & Development Council
NOTES: The bass fishing on Lake Okeechobee is expected to be very good. Anglers will likely be seen flipping and pitching worms or beaver-style baits into the shallow grass mats or running vibrating jigs and other moving baits along the grass lines. A five-bass limit nearing 25 pounds has historically been needed to win the Gator division opener.
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 50 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 BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
ABOUT FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2016 over the course of 235 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
By: Brian Johnson, FLW
