Walmart FLW Tour looks to Kentucky Lake

Fifth Major set for June 7-10

MURRAY, Ky. – The Walmart FLW Tour on Kentucky Lake presented by OFF! will visit Murray, Ky., June 7-10 for the fifth major of its 17th season. Hosted by the Marshall County Tourist Commission and the Murray Convention & Visitors Bureau, the tournament will feature the world’s best bass pros and co-anglers casting for top awards up to $125,000 cash in the Pro Division and up to $25,000 cash in the Co-angler Division.

“The lake is still below summer pool,” said OFF! pro Terry Bolton of Paducah, Ky., who has more than 20 FLW top-10 finishes on Kentucky Lake. “I think we’re going to hit it at a pretty good time as far as the off-shore fishing goes. If we could get a little rain anywhere on the Tennessee River in the next week I think it would definitely benefit us because it would lead to more current flow.”

Bolton believes there will be a good number of fish caught during the tournament and said anglers will be employing a wide variety of techniques to catch their bass. Deep-diving crankbaits such as Rapala DT16s and DT20s, plastic worms and jigs and said some anglers may even opt for the Alabama rig.

“I know there’s some weeds that have grown up in front of the buck brush because of the low water, and you know, we might even see some good fish caught up shallow if the water was to return to summer pool by the time the tournament starts,” Bolton said.

Bolton said if there was some current running that anglers might need 20 pounds a day to have a chance at winning the event. Otherwise, he said 18 to 18 1/2 pounds will be a more realistic norm. He added that 16 to 16 1/2 pounds a day should secure a top 20 spot.

Bolton has years of experience on Kentucky Lake but doesn’t feel that the so-called home-water advantage gives him an edge in this event.

“It used to, but with today’s technology of side-scanning electronics and GPS and mapping systems the playing field is pretty well even,” Bolton said. “It’s a lot harder to have a home-water advantage in a structure-type tournament. But now, with today’s technology, guys are able to go out and find these schools of fish. And the fishermen are a lot better than they were 10 years ago.

“But I’ve always got a few things up my sleeve,” Bolton added.

In FLW Tour competition, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. This year’s Cup will be in Duluth/Gainesville, Ga., Aug. 9-12 on Lake Lanier and anglers could win as much as $500,000 – the sport’s biggest award. Anglers are also vying for the prestigious 2012 Walmart FLW Tour Angler of the Year presented by Kellogg’s title that will be determined by the most points accumulated over the six Tour Majors.

Anglers will take off from Kentucky Dam Marina located at 466 Marina Drive in Gilbertsville, Ky., at 6:30 a.m. each morning. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will be held at Kentucky Dam Marina beginning at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s final weigh-ins will be held at the CFSB Center at Murray State University in Murray beginning at 4 p.m.

Fans will be treated to the FLW Expo at the CFSB Center on Saturday and Sunday from noon-4 p.m. prior to the final weigh-ins. The Expo includes Ranger boat simulators, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by sponsors, and fans can learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public. On Sunday the first 300 children 14 and under who are accompanied by an adult will receive a free rod and reel combo courtesy of WKYQ 93.3. Also on Sunday one lucky fishing fan will win a Can-Am ATV courtesy of The Paducah Sun. The ATV giveaway is free to enter but the winner must be present at the conclusion of Sunday’s final weigh-in to win.

As part of the FLW Tour’s community outreach initiative, FLW will be working in conjunction with the Murray-Calloway County Parks Department to participate in the Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs Kid’s Fishing Day, which will feature more than 300 local children aged preschool to 15 years old. FLW anglers will be on hand to fish with the children and participate in the day’s activities. OFF! will be donating cans of insect repellant for all children who participate. The activities will be June 2 from 8-11 a.m. at the Imes Farm located at 4064 U.S. Hwy. 641 N. in Murray.

Coverage of the Kentucky Lake tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network when “FLW” airs Aug. 19 from 1 – 2 p.m. ET. “FLW” is hosted by Jason Harper and is broadcast to more than 559 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWOutdoors.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us 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 unparalleled fishing resources and entertainment to our sponsors, fans and host communities. FLW is offering anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2012 over the course of 191 tournaments across five tournament circuits, each providing an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water,” through a variety of platforms including tournaments, outdoor expos and the world’s richest fantasy sports game – FLW Fantasy Fishing. For more information about FLW and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com and look for FLW on Twitter and Facebook.