The Costa FLW Series is headed to Sam Rayburn Reservoir Feb. 25-27 for a tournament presented by Mercury when as many as 400 pros and co-anglers will take to the water for the first stop of 2016 in the Southwestern Division.
“I think we can expect to see some big stringers brought to the scale at this tournament,” said Keystone Light pro Jeff Sprague of Point, Texas, who finished the season ranked No. 7 in the FLW Series Southwestern division in 2015. “With all of the different ways to catch fish, it’s going to be a derby.
“Right now, the majority of bass are in the prespawn phase with only a small amount actually spawning,” Sprague continued. “I think a lot of competitors will be flipping the haygrass and hydrilla, while others will opt for wood or coontails. Using football-head jigs, Carolina-rigged worms and crankbaits on the main lake where bass are staging to come in could be popular as well. I also wouldn’t count out the spinnerbait bite up shallow. That could end being a major player in this event.”
Sprague said that depending on water clarity, bait colors like black and blue, watermelon and green-pumpkin are all likely to play roles in this event.
“I’m going to reach for all of my central-Texas grass staples,” said Sprague. “But, that could change fairly quickly depending on if they’re congregating in cleaner or dirtier water.”
Sprague finished by saying that the winner will likely need a three-day total nearing 63 pounds to win the tournament.
“Big bass are definitely out there on Rayburn, it’s just a matter of catching them,” said Sprague.
Anglers will take off from Umphrey Family Pavilion located at 5438 Rural Route 255 in Brookeland at 7 a.m. CDT each day. Weigh-in on Thursday and Friday will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Pros will fish for a top award of $40,000 plus a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Co-anglers will cast for a top award consisting of a Ranger Z175 with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $5,000 if Ranger Cup guidelines are met.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2016 Costa FLW Series
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
