Walmart BFL tournament preview at a glance
Choo Choo and Savannah River Division events set for Feb. 9
The 2013 Walmart BFL season continues with two tournaments on Saturday, Feb. 9. The Choo Choo division opens its season on Lake Guntersville and the Savannah River division opens on Lake Keowee. Up to 400 boaters and co-anglers will be competing in each event for top awards up to $8,000 and $3,000 respectively.
When: Saturday, Feb. 9
Where: Choo Choo Division
Lake Guntersville
Waterfront Tackle & Grill at Goose Pond
417 Ed Hembree Drive
Scottsboro, Ala.
To sign up and fish this event, click here.
Notes: When the BFL visited Lake Guntersville back in February of 2012, winter weather was still in full force. High winds and brutally cold temperatures made the day uncomfortable for anglers and their equipment, but did little to stop the bite. Guntersville proved itself once again with 20 bags of more than 20 pounds brought to the scales, and a winning weight that exceeded the 30-pound mark.
So far in 2013 bass have been biting well and big stringers are being caught on a daily basis. The bigger bass are known to stay notoriously shallow during winter months on Guntersville, and anglers should expect to be targeting the lake’s banks, points and pockets. Alabama rigs, reaction-type baits and jigs should all be popular baits thrown during the tournament. The potential of a winning weight around 30 pounds is likely.
Where: Savannah River Division
Lake Keowee
South Cove County Park
1099 South Cove Rd.
Seneca, S.C.
To sign up and fish this event, click here.
Notes: Lake Keowee is one of the few lakes in the country where it is commonplace for anglers to bring three different types of keeper bass to the scales. Local reports state that spotted bass are the most widespread, followed by largemouth and smallmouth. With an average depth of 54 feet and a general absence of cover, the bass in Keowee are often found relating to depth changes including channels, humps, points and roadbeds. During the winter and spring seasons, multiple fishing patterns are often present on the lake. Shallow-water anglers should expect to be throwing jigs, soft plastics and slow-moving baits, while the deep-water specialists may find drop-shotting to be most productive. Angler versatility will be one of the keys to victory in this tournament. Early predictions estimate weights from 14 to 16 pounds to be on top of the leaderboard.
Walmart BFL overview
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 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 presented by Chevy. The 2013 BFL All-American is being held June 27-29 on Nickajack Lake in Chattanooga, Tenn. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
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 2013 over the course of 220 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 559 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water.” For more information about FLW visit FLWOutdoors.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube. For more information about FLW and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com and look for FLW on Twitter and Facebook.