WHAT: The 2015 Walmart Bass Fishing League season will continue with three tournaments on Saturday, July 11. The Great Lakes division takes on the Wolf River Chain, the Hoosier division heads to the Ohio River, and the Michigan division stops at the Detroit River for an event presented by Navionics. Up to 400 boaters and co-anglers will be competing for top awards of up to $8,000 and $3,000 respectively in the one-day events.
WHEN: Saturday, July 11, 2015
Great Lakes Division
Wolf River Chain
Winneconne Waterfront Park
South First Street
Winneconne, Wis.
NOTES: The bass fishing on the Wolf River Chain is expected to be good. Boaters will be seen targeting shallow rocks and weed edges on the main river. If competitors decide to target the smallmouth bite, fish will be found near rocky humps along banks. Popular baits for this tournament will include spinnerbaits, jigs, buzzbaits and crankbaits. A 15-pound five-bass limit will most likely be needed to win this event.
Hoosier Division
Ohio River
Lawrenceburg City Ramp
Tanner’s Creek Drive
Lawrenceburg, Ind.
NOTES: The Ohio River rarely disappoints as a bass fishery this time of year. Fans following the tournament can expect to see anglers targeting logs, stumps and dead wood, in shallow depths. Bass will also be found in bays where boaters will use shallow-running crankbaits and worms to find the bite. Past winners on the Ohio River have also found success using spinnerbaits, topwaters and swimbaits. Five bass nearing 11 pounds are expected to take top honors.
Michigan Division
Detroit River presented by Navionics
Elizabeth Park Marina
200 Grosse Ile Parkway
Trenton, Mich.
NOTES: The Detroit River is an exciting destination for bass anglers this time of year. Local reports indicate water levels are high and bass are active. A popular pattern will be targeting isolated gravel spots in deep water with tubes and drop-shot rigs. Soft plastics and jigs have also produced winning stringers in past BFL tournaments. A five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds should tip the scales in the winner’s favor.
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
