Tune in Sunday, Aug. 10, to “FLW Outdoors” on FSN for the Wal-Mart FLW Tour event on the Fort Loudoun-Tellico lakes in Knoxville, Tenn. The $1 million tournament, which was hosted by the Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corporation and the Loudon County Visitors Bureau, awarded the winning bass pro a cash prize of $125,000.
The one-hour show is the first of a two-part series covering stop No. 5 on the $9.5 million FLW Tour season. The tournament featured 400 top anglers from 35 states, Australia, Mexico and Japan.
At the conclusion of the two-day opening round, David Dudley, FLW Outdoors’ first million-dollar angler is leading the tournament with 10 bass weighing 35 pounds, 14 ounces. Day one on the Fort Loudoun-Tellico lakes saw a tremendous catch. After the scales closed, it took 15 pounds, 5 ounces to be a top-10 contender. On day two the fishing was considerably tougher, but not for Dudley.
Returning to the place that produced 20 pounds, 2 ounces on day one, Dudley caught 15 pounds, 12 ounces in a matter of minutes on day two and then proceeded to patrol the perimeter of his small honeyhole like a Doberman pincher guard dog. To catch his fish, the Castrol pro is using a deep-diving crankbait and a 10-inch Berkley Power Worm over a boulder ledge on the upper end of Fort Loudoun Lake. Dudley is essentially putting all his eggs in the basket of this one ledge. He has other places to fish, but none are as good as this one particular place, hence his spot-guarding.
In second place with a two-day total of 33 pounds, 14 ounces is Knoxville, Tenn., pro Brandon Coulter. Coulter has a local advantage and he is getting the most out of it. He had just three little keepers in his livewell at noon on day two, but kept running water until he found fish that were biting. Coulter estimated he fished 50 spots during the second day of competition. On the last spot he hit, he caught five 3-pounders on a homemade jig and a Mann’s 30 plus crankbait. Â
Day-one leader Scott Martin of Clewiston, Fla., slipped to third with an 11-pound, 12-ounce day-two catch for an opening-round total of 32 pounds, 7 ounces. The National Guard pro continues to bounce back and forth between shallow and deep water. On day two his limit consisted of two shallow fish and three deep fish. When he’s near the bank, Martin is throwing a shallow-running crankbait around seawalls where he can see shad activity. When he’s fishing ledges, he uses a deep-diving crankbait and a football-head jig.
Also in contention is Prilosec pro Craig Powers of Rockwood, Tenn. Powers qualified for the top 10 with a two-day total of 27 pounds, 8 ounces. Powers is known for his shallow-water prowess with a Pop-R. The fact that he is mainly fishing deep ledges indicates it is a very strong pattern. In this feature, FSN goes behind the scenes with Powers as he prepares for the final round. The veteran pro also talks about the pressure of being a local and what it means to have his family in attendance supporting him.
In addition, Kellogg’s pro Greg Bohannan of Rogers, Ark., participates in this edition of Fishing 101. Bohannan, who took third place at the 2008 Wal-Mart Open on Beaver Lake, shows viewers the go-to baits and techniques for fishing ledges.
FSN is the industry leader in providing the most up-to-date technology in TV production. FSN puts viewers in the boats with the pros, shadowing them from sunrise until the final weigh-in using innovative camera work that gives fishing fans the most intimate viewing experience available.
FSN broadcasts “FLW Outdoors” Sunday mornings. Check local listings for show times and channels in your area.
FSN is broadcast to more than 81 million homes through its network of 20 regional sports channels. Established in 1996, FSN is the only cable network that supplies national, regional and local sports programming. FSN serves as the cable TV home to 62 of the 82 MLB, NHL and NBA teams based in the United States, and produces more than 4,500 live events each year. FSN has an extensive catalog of original national programs, including “Best Damn Sports Show Period” and “Beyond the Glory” documentary series, along with national packages of collegiate sports. Based in Los Angeles, FSN is part of the vast FOX Sports television family.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits targeting bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, call (270) 252-1000.By: Dave Washburn, vp comm / FLW Outdoors
