11 Things to do at the Forrest Wood Cup
How to do it right in person
The main focus of the Forrest Wood Cup is obviously the fishing. To see the best in the business slug it out Aug. 11-13 on Lake Murray, all you really need is a decent internet connection to stream FLW Live all three days, along with tons of coverage on flwfishing.com. That said, there are plenty of reasons to head to Columbia, S.C., and see things in person.
Here are 11 suggestions.
1. See the best show in town
The FLW Expo, free to the public, opens its doors in the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. each day from Friday through Sunday, with daily weigh-ins and concerts taking place afterward in the adjoining Colonial Life Arena.
There are always some good freebies at the Expo, and it can also be the first chance to buy some of the products recently unveiled at ICAST. With more than 100 vendors/exhibitors, there will be plenty of cool stuff to check out and some prime tackle to buy if that’s what tickles your fancy. There are also fishing seminars from a bunch of pros including legends Hank Parker, Jimmy Houston and Bryon Velvick, plus autograph and photo oportunity with Forrest L. Wood. On Saturday and Sunday the first 500 kids through the door will get a voucher for a free rod and reel from WLTX-TV News 19. Vouchers can be redeemed after each day’s weigh-in.
The Expo is also the place to enter for some great giveaways. After Saturday’s weigh-in, Quaker State and Lamar are giving away a Jackson Kayak. Then after Sunday’s final weigh-in, the winner of the Ranger Z521C powered by Evinrude giveaway presented by WCOS 97.5 FM will be announced.
2. Country music featuring Easton Corbin
Weigh-in is a great stop anyhow, but Sunday’s final weigh-in has some extra juice. Country music superstar Easton Corbin will perform a free concert on the weigh-in stage at Colonial Life Arena beginning at 4 p.m. ET before the final weigh-in. The concert is presented by WCOS 97.5 FM, and fans of all ages are encouraged to attend it and the weigh-in.
Chase Mitchell will be performing on Friday at 2 p.m. ET and Nashville's The Blue Pickups Band and will be playing on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. These free concerts will be happening on the Bass & BBQ stage outside of the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.
3. Watch FLW Live
FLW Live at the Cup is going to run from the morning show, starting at 6:30 a.m. each day at takeoff, straight through to 12:30 p.m. With Travis Moran and Rob Newell in studio and Chris Jones and Byron Velvick at takeoff, it should be pretty spectacular.
One added benefit of FLW Live at the Cup is the ability to see the production in person. At the Expo at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center each day, you can watch Newell and Moran at the desk in person along with live feeds on several big screens. In addition to what you’d ordinarily be able to watch online, you’ll be able to walk around the studio and get a look at how FLW Live comes together to bring all the action from the water to your screen of choice.
4. Visit Folgers Morning Takeoff at the "General Tire Ramp"
For most tournament fans and anglers, not much approaches takeoff. The air is filled with latent anticipation, and on day one everybody has a chance. Takeoff is at 7:00 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Dreher Island State Park, and it’s worth getting up for. The morning show starts at 6:30 a.m. each day, and most of the pros will be in the water before then, so plan on getting there a little early to get the whole picture and not just blastoff. Folgers will provide free coffee and donuts each day, and the national anthem and morning prayer occur a few minutes before the pros roll out to start competition.
5. Go on the water
It’s a little extra effort, but despite how good FLW Live is (and you can watch that from a boat, too), putting a boat in with some buddies and heading out to watch the action on the water can be a great way to take in the Cup. Lake Murray is a beautiful lake to be out on, and with a YETI full of cold drinks and an occasional swim (well away from the anglers) you should be able to beat the heat pretty handily. As a payoff, you can get a better spatial sense of what the pros are fishing, and you might be one of the very first to see history happen – be it Scott Canterbury losing a giant (sorry Scott) or Matt Arey swinging in a 5-pounder from under a dock.
6. Attend weigh-in
You really should go to all three weigh-ins, but if you can only make it to one we won’t hold it against you too much. Last time the Cup was at Murray, the final weigh-in was probably the most exciting ever. Steve Kennedy threatened for the win, and then it seemed like everyone in the top five took the lead until Anthony Gagliardi finished just an ounce ahead of Canterbury for the title. Everyone likes a good weigh-in, and you’ve got to love emcee Chris Jones. Taken together it’s worth heading to the Colonial Life Arena at 5 p.m. ET Friday-Sunday for each one.
7. Sample the Bass & BBQ Festival
No summertime gathering of fishing enthusiasts is complete without barbeque. WIS-TV 10 has teamed up with FLW for “Bass & BBQ” at the Forrest Wood Cup to raise money for local charities. Come enjoy all of the fishing action and barbeque from top barbeque teams on Friday, Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and help raise money for some worthy causes. It happens just outside the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, so it’s any easy stop to combine with the FLW Expo or a weigh-in.
8. Learn more about fishing
From Travis Moran to Jimmy Houston, there is a pile of seminars to take in at the FLW Expo. The first 50 folks in each one will get some free Zoom baits, and all attendees are entered to win the “Ultimate Fishing Experience” presented by Quaker State, which includes a fishing trip with Hank Parker and Jimmy Houston. Every seminar provides a great chance to learn more about how to catch a bass (and even some other stuff, too). The full schedule is below, and they all take place in the 107.5 FM The Game seminar room (Hall of Fame meeting room) at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.
Friday
- 12 p.m.: Charlie Evans
- 1 p.m.: Jimmy Houston
- 2 p.m.: YETI FLW College Fishing – University of South Carolina
- 2:30 p.m.: Hank Parker
- 3 p.m.: Travis Moran/Lucky Tackle Box – Building your fishing brand through Live media
Saturday
- 12:30 p.m.: Jimmy Houston
- 1 p.m.: Eric Jackson – kayak fishing
- 2 p.m.: Mud Hole rod building – Chris Adams and Hunter McKamey
- 3 p.m.: Byron Velvick
Sunday
- 12 p.m.: Hank Parker
- 1 p.m.: Healthy Angler with Scott Kupferman
- 2 p.m.: High School Fishing with Georgia State Champs Cal Culpepper and Mason Waddell from Harris County High School
9. Take in the Junior World Championship
Always held in conjunction with the Forrest Wood Cup, the TBF Junior World Championship pits the top youth anglers (11 to 15 years old) from around the country against each other for thousands of dollars in scholarship money. This year the tournament takes place on nearby Lake Wateree Aug. 11-12, with takeoff at 6:30 a.m. at Clearwater Cove and weigh-in at the same place at 1:30 p.m. On Saturday, the Junior World Championship anglers will be recognized on the Cup stage prior to the pros weighing in.
10. Experience a test ride
Whether you just like riding in boats or are thinking about buying or re-powering, a Ranger/Evinrude test ride is an opportunity worth jumping at. Taking out at Dreher Island on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., the test rides allow you to hop into a new Ranger with an Evinrude G2 and experience the package for yourself. On both days, the first 50 riders will get free hats.
Lowrance is also offering on-the-water demos from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Dreher Island, which is a great chance to see Lowrance’s amazing StructureScan technology in real-world conditions.
To check out either of the demos, all you need to do is show up at the lake.
11. Take the kids fishing
From 9:00 to 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 12, the FLW Foundation Unified Fishing Derby hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley will take place at the Cohen Campbell Fish Hatchery in West Columbia, S.C. Completely free for youth to participate in, the event’s winner and runner-up will be recognized on stage prior to the day-two weigh-in.
To get signed up or for more information you can contact FLW Foundation Unified Fishing Derby coordinator Judith Allen at [email protected].