WHAT: The 2015 Walmart Bass Fishing League (BFL) season will continue with seven two-day BFL Super Tournaments on Saturday, September 26, as the Bulldog division heads to Lake Oconee, the Choo Choo division competes on Lake Guntersville, the LBL division stops at Kentucky and Barkley lakes, the Okie division tackles Grand Lake, the Savannah River division fishes Clarks Hill Lake, the Shenandoah division navigates the Potomac River, and the Volunteer division takes on Douglas Lake. Up to 400 boaters and co-anglers will be casting for top prizes of up to $11,000 and $4,500 in the two-day events.
WHEN: Saturday-Sunday, September 26-27
Bulldog Division
Lake Oconee
Sugar Creek Marina
353 Parks Mill Road
Buckhead, Ga.
NOTES: Lake Oconee is expected to fish well this tournament. Competitors in the event will likely be seen targeting bass using frogs and jigs near docks on the main lake. Other anglers may choose to focus on bream beds throwing topwater baits in pockets – a pattern favored by winners of past BFL events on this body of water. A two-day total of 10 bass nearing 32 pounds should take top honors at this event.
Choo Choo Division
Lake Guntersville
The Bait, Tackle & Grill at Goose Pond
417 Ed Hembree Drive
Scottsboro, Ala.
NOTES: Lake Guntersville never disappoints as a bass fishery this time of year. Recent winners of BFL events on Lake Guntersville have found success flipping grass lines using larger-sized jigs and swimbaits. Anglers have also done well by fishing in deeper water around stretches of hydrilla using frogs and jigs. A two-day total of 10 bass in the 34-pound range should be enough to win this event.
LBL Division
Kentucky Lake
Moors Resort & Marina
570 Moors Road
Gilbertsville, Ky.
NOTES: The bass fishing on Kentucky and Barkley lakes is expected to be excellent for this tournament. Fans following the action will likely see anglers targeting bass with topwater baits on bars and near the area’s well-known ledges. Recent winners of tournaments on Kentucky and Barkley lakes have also found success targeting bass on grass flats in 3- to 6-foot depths using topwater baits, swimbaits and jigs. A two-day cumulative of 10 bass totaling 39 pounds should tip the scales in the winner’s favor.
Okie Division
Grand Lake
Grove City Ramp
1007 North 16th St. W.
Grove, Okla
NOTES: Grand Lake is an exciting destination for bass anglers this time of year. Previous winners of BFL events on Grand Lake have found success targeting bass feeding on shad in shallower water using green-pumpkin-colored worms. Anglers competing in this tournament may also prefer to focus on docks and brush piles with natural-colored jigs. A two-day catch of 10 bass nearing 29 pounds is expected to take top honors at this competition.
Savannah River Division
Clarks Hill Lake
Wildwood Park
6212 Holloway Road
Appling, Ga.
NOTES: Clarks Hill Lake is expected to have ideal conditions for bass fishing at this tournament. Competitors in this event will likely be seen using buzzbaits near main-lake hydrilla or crankbaits along grass mats and humps. Local fishing reports indicate bass are also firing near wind-blown points with spinnerbaits. A two-day cumulative total of 10 bass weighing 26 pounds will likely be needed to win this tournament.
Shenandoah Division
Potomac River
Smallwood State Park
2750 Sweden Point Road
Marbury, Md.
NOTES: The bass fishing on the Potomac River is expected to be top notch at this point in the season. Fans following the tournament will likely see anglers using black and blue-colored swimbaits near natural cover and grass. Anglers may also opt to target bass in bays with jigs in sparse grass and crankbaits in thicker grass patches. A two-day total of 10 bass weighing 26 pounds will likely be needed to win this showdown.
Volunteer Division
Douglas Lake
Mountain Cove Marina
1590 Dike Road
Kodak, Tenn.
NOTES: Douglas Lake is expected to produce some sizeable bass for this event. Local reports indicate the water temperature is hovering around 73 degrees and largemouth bass are actively feeding on baitfish throughout the day. Recent winners of BFL events on Douglas Lake have found success hopping jigs on ledges and throwing swimbaits along points. A two-day total of 10 bass in the 19-pound range should be able to win this event.
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 Walmart BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac 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 2015 over the course of 240 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
