WHAT: The first day of competition at the Costa FLW Series Championship on Lake Guntersville was cancelled by FLW officials Thursday due to high winds and strong storms in the area. Competition will resume Friday, Nov. 2, and conclude Saturday, Nov. 3.
“Based on the weather fronts that we saw in the area, including tornados that had already touched down, we decided not to take a chance,” said FLW Series Tournament Director Ron Lappin. “Forecasters said it may move to the north, but the fact that there are sustained winds in the 17- to 20- mile-per-hour range with gusts up to 27 – enough for a small craft advisory – we elected to not participate today and send everyone out the next two days. Safety is always the number one priority.”
NOTES: The full field of anglers will now compete Friday and Saturday, with the winner being determined by a two-day cumulative weight.
Anglers will take off from Guntersville City Harbor, located at 201 Blount Ave., in Guntersville, at 7:30 a.m. CDT each day. Friday’s weigh-in will take place at the harbor, and will begin at 3 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in, originally scheduled to take place at Cabela’s in Huntsville at 3:30 p.m. will now remain at Guntersville City Harbor, and will begin at 3 p.m.
Competitors qualified for the Costa FLW Series Championship through five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – and an International division that features anglers from Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. The highest finishing pro from each U.S. division and the International division will qualify for the 2019 FLW Cup. A total of six FLW Series boaters will advance to the 2019 FLW Cup, which will be held at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 9-11.
The Costa FLW Series Championship is hosted by the Marshall County Convention & Visitors Bureau, and features a top prize of $95,000 in the Pro Division, including a Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
In Costa FLW Series competition, 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.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
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: Brian Johnson, FLW
