Fish-Off preview: Brackets are back

Amistad promises intrigue, monster catches

DEL RIO, Texas – After eight Wal-Mart FLW Series qualifying events spanning the entire United States from California to New York, it all comes down to this: East vs. West, one on one for a berth into the no-entry-fee $2 million 2008 Forrest Wood Cup, bass fishing’s premier event where qualifiers have a shot at winning $1 million.

Thirty pros from each division will face each other in head-to-head action. The No. 1 seeds from each division will face the No. 30 seeds, the No. 2 seeds will face the No. 29 seeds, and so on. The winner of each matchup is determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight as the tournament spans Feb. 7-9.

Fittingly, the location of the East-West Fish-Off is Lake Amistad. Centrally located, this Rio Grande impoundment is one of the best fisheries in the country. With the right conditions, the lake will produce multiple 30-pound bags. In fact, Amistad is already home to the heaviest single-day catch (37 pounds) and biggest bass (14 pounds, 8 ounces) in FLW Outdoors history.

But the awesome fishing isn’t the only attraction. As is always the case with brackets, interesting matchups make for compelling narrative. Rather than having to defeat a daunting field of 199 other pros, a victory in Del Rio, Texas, only requires besting one angler. Perhaps the most intriguing matchup of the tournament is Chevy pro Larry Nixon fishing against Western legend Mike Folkestad.

Nixon is perhaps the greatest angler to ever pick up a rod and reel. For all his accomplishments, including dozens of tournament victories and barrels full of cash, it would be impossible to convince the Western bass contingent that he’s a superior fisherman to Folkestad. The Yorba Linda, Calif., pro has won just about everything possible in the West, including three U.S. Open victories. Earlier in his career, Folkestad fished across the country on the BASS side – winning the 1992 event on the Harris Chain in Florida. Folkestad has also competed in a Bassmaster Classic, but he thinks the opportunity in front of him now is even better.

“This is an exciting tournament,” he said. “What’s great about it is that it gives you a chance at the Forrest Wood Cup. Nowadays, that’s even bigger than the Classic. It would be kind of cool to have a chance at $1 million. But it’s different because there’s no money involved (with the exception of the winner receiving $25,000) in this tournament. I’m just fishing against Larry.”

Interestingly, Folkestad and Nixon have competed against each other before. Although it wasn’t head to head, they did share a boat back at the 1990 BASS event on 1,000 Islands Lake in New York. At the time, professionals shared a boat, and a coin flip would determine whose boat would be used. Each pro had control of the boat for half the day. As Folkestad remembers it, the West won on that occasion.

“If I remember correctly, I did better than him that day,” laughed Folkestad. “I think I just got a few more big bites than he did. Larry was great; he’s a good guy. I totally respect him.”

An informal poll on FLWOutdoors.com revealed that 77 percent of bass-fishing fans thought the Eastern Division would qualify more pros for the Cup than the Western Division. Folkestad believes otherwise.

“I think we’ve got some good fishermen out west; we just don’t get the recognition that the guys out east do. I really think it will be about even.”

Fish-Off competition begins Thursday, Feb. 7, at 7 a.m. For a complete list of the qualifiers and individual matchups, see below.