Anglers From Around the Globe Competing For $95K, Forrest Wood Cup Berth
The Costa FLW Series will visit Table Rock Lake and the Branson, Missouri, area Nov. 3-5 to crown the 2016 FLW Series Champion. Hosted by ExploreBranson.com, the bass-fishing tournament will feature more than 200 of the best regional anglers from around the world casting for a top prize of $95,000, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard, and automatic qualification to the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with an International division that features anglers from Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. The highest finishing pro from each U.S. division and the new International division based on their finish qualify for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, along with the overall top five finishers not already selected as the highest finisher of a division. A total of 11 FLW Series boaters will advance to the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup.
“The water is lower right now on Table Rock Lake than it has been in years,” said FLW Tour pro James Watson of Nixa, Missouri, who has four top-10 finishes on Table Rock Lake in FLW competition. “It’s about 5 to 6 feet below normal pool and that’s going to play a big role in this tournament. The rivers (James, King and Upper White) will be in play more than ever before.
“I think the visible cover up the major rivers will be the predominant pattern,” Watson continued. “I expect most anglers will be spread out and make longer runs than they usually would at Table Rock. They’ll be able to catch fish running the bank of the main lake, but it’s not going to be the quality that you need to finish in the top 5.
“The water is also super-clear right now in the main portion of the lake,” Watson said. “I think the winner will likely find a quality school or two of bass out deep, along with a couple of big ones from the river. It’s going to be very similar to the 2008 Series Championship on Table Rock that was won by David Curtis – finding one or two schools out deep and managing them for three days.”
Watson said that spinnerbaits, flipping and pitching or throwing a crankbait would all be strong for anglers targeting cover in the rivers. He said that drop-shot rigs and football-head jigs would be the deal for anglers who locate the schools in the main lake.
“I think if you can average 16 to 17 pounds a day over the three days, you’ll be right there at the end,” Watson went on to say. “I predict the winner is going to have somewhere between 48 to 52 pounds.”
Anglers will take off from the Table Rock State Park Marina, located at 380 State Park Marina Road in Branson, at 7 a.m. CDT each day. Weigh-in on days one and two will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Weigh-in on day three will take place at the Branson Landing located at 100 Branson Landing in Branson, at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
In Costa FLW Series regular-season competition, each division competes in three tournaments, with competitors vying for valuable points to earn their way into the top 40 and the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship.
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 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. 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
