Grass Bite Likely to Be Key
The Walmart Bass Fishing League (BFL) is headed to the Potomac River Oct. 8-10 for one of six BFL regional championships. The three-day tournament, presented by Ranger Boats, will feature the top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers from each of the Buckeye, Michigan, Northeast and Piedmont divisions.
Anglers will take to the water to compete for the top prize of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard and $20,000 in the Boater Division and a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard in the Co-angler division. The top six boaters and co-anglers will also qualify for the 2016 Walmart BFL All-American – one of the longest running championships in competitive bass fishing.
“This year there is more grass on the Potomac then there has been in the last 10 years,” said Walmart FLW Tour pro Bryan Schmitt, of Deale, Maryland, who has 18 career top-10 finishes in FLW competition. “Frogs and flipping jigs will likely do well in current conditions. Competitors who decide to slow down their pace will reach for a worm, vibrating jig or crankbait.
“When it’s this late in the year, there are other options to catch fish as well,” continued Schmitt. “I think we’ll see some competitors targeting wood, docks or old barges. A heavier jig or shaky-head jig will be preferred by those anglers.”
Schmitt said that green-pumpkin or natural-colored baits will most likely be favored by competitors in this tournament.
“You can’t go wrong with darker colors like black and blue either,” said Schmitt. “Unless the wind is blowing on a certain side of the river, the water will be clean, but the fish don’t always go to the cleanest water.”
Schmitt concluded by saying he expects a three-day-cumulative catch totaling 48 pounds to win the tournament.
Anglers will take off from Smallwood State Park, located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury at 7:30 a.m. EST each day. Weigh-ins on Thursday and Friday will be held at the State Park beginning at 3:30 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at Walmart located at 40 Drury Drive in La Plata, Maryland, at 4:30 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Also on Saturday, fans will also be treated to the FLW Expo at Walmart prior to the final weigh-in. The Expo includes a Ranger boat simulator, a unique opportunity to interact with anglers, interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by sponsors, and a chance to learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.
The BFL Regional Championship event on the Potomac River is being hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners.
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
