Multiple Patterns in Play for FLW Anglers
The first Walmart FLW Tour Invitational tournament of 2016 will visit North Carolina Sept. 15-17 for the Walmart FLW Tour Invitational at Lake Norman presented by Lowrance. Hosted by Visit Lake Norman, Visit Charlotte and Mecklenburg County Parks & Recreation, the tournament will feature competitors casting for huge cash payouts and a coveted spot in the world championship of bass fishing – the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup.
“Lake Norman is one of the most diverse fisheries that we can visit,” said Quaker State pro Matt Arey of Shelby, North Carolina, who has 20 career top-10 finishes in FLW competition. “There are a ton of different options to catch bass, and anglers have won tournaments all over the lake. They’ll be catching them as deep as 40 feet and as shallow as six inches. I think you’re going to have to hit a lot of different areas and mix up patterns to win.
“It’s definitely going to be a junk-fishing deal,” Arey continued. “There’s some rain and cooler weather coming, which means shad and bass will be in transition. Patterns like topwater fishing and running docks will be strong. The river is also going to be a player because of the current. A lot of spotted bass live in the lake, and if someone can dial in on those deep schools, the spots could definitely be a factor.”
Arey said that drop-shot rigs, wacky-rigged worms, jigs, and spinnerbaits will all be lures in his arsenal.
“Lake Norman is really all over the map right now,” said Arey. “You could have 18 rods on the deck, but you may only catch eight keepers with 12 of them.”
Arey went on to say that a three-day cumulative catch ranging from 37 to 39 pounds should be enough to win the event.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if someone caught 15 pounds on one day, and then 11 or 12 pounds the other two. Lake Norman is chock-full of fish.”
Anglers will take off from Blythe Landing Park located at 15901 N.C. Highway 73 in Huntersville at 7 a.m. EDT each day. Weigh-in each day will be held at the park, beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
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 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: Brian Johnson, FLW
