May 11 show to cover second stop of $9.5 million season
Tune in Sunday, May 11, to “FLW Outdoors” on FSN for the Wal-Mart FLW Tour event on Lewis Smith Lake in Jasper, Ala. The $1 million tournament, which was hosted by the Walker County Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Birmingham Convention and 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. 2 on the $9.5 million FLW Tour season. The tournament featured 400 top bass anglers from 37 states, Mexico, Italy, Spain, Australia and Japan.
At the conclusion of the two-day opening round, Berkley pro Glenn Browne leads all competitors with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 27 pounds, 6 ounces. On day one the Ocala, Fla., native caught 12-4 and he followed up that performance with 15-2. On day one Browne caught his fish flipping a Berkley Power Tube on 20-pound 100% Trilene flourocarbon on the extreme north end of the lake.
Returning to the same area on day two, Browne had every intention of flipping again. But then he witnessed a few bass break the surface to chase shad. As the activity increased Browne picked up a Pop-R and a Lucky Craft Sammy and went to work on top. Within an hour, he had secured his hefty limit and the tournament lead at the halfway point. Since Browne caught his fish early in the day, he’s worried that the strong afternoon rains fouled the water in his area. If the fish can’t see his presentation, the pro leader may need to change his game plan for the final round.
In second place is rookie pro Scott Canterbury. A Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League veteran, Canterbury has made the top-10 cutoff in only his second FLW Tour event. Canterbury lives in Odenville, Ala., and loves to catch spotted bass on Logan Martin Lake and the Coosa River. But he’s targeting strictly largemouths on Smith Lake. Canterbury is sight-fishing, but that isn’t his main pattern. His bread and butter is a buzzbait, and he’ll also occasionally throw a spinnerbait. If he finds a bass on bed, he’ll stop and pitch a green-pumpkin tube. So far it has worked to the tune of a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 26 pounds, 12 ounces.
Trailing Browne and Canterbury is pretournament favorite Greg Pugh of Cullman, Ala. An excellent sight-fisherman, Pugh is putting his keen eyes to work on his home lake. After catching only four bass on day one that weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces, the Snickers pro rallied on day two with a limit weighing 17-11, which currently stands as the heaviest stringer of the tournament. At the conclusion of the opening round, his two-day total registered 26 pounds, 5 ounces. Pugh’s biggest fish on day two weighed 4 pounds, 12 ounces, and he had another that surpassed 4. These bass are coming from pockets in hard-to-reach places. Not surprisingly, he’s fishing the Cullman side of the lake because he’s more familiar with it. The third-place pro is catching his fish on a 5/16-ounce jig and a 7-inch Berkley Shaky worm. He also occasionally mixes in a white Berkley tube.
In addition, Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, participates in this edition of Fishing 101. Wendlandt, the two-time Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year on the FLW Tour, shows viewers how to catch spawning bass when the water isn’t clear enough for sight-fishing.
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. FLWOutdoors.com also provides an online guide listing upcoming episodes on “FLW Outdoors.”
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” is also broadcast internationally to more than 429 million households in such countries as Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world.
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
