More Experienced Bohannan Ready for Cup
Arkansas pro knows just making the Cup is major part of the battle
Ask any FLW Tour angler what it takes to win the Forrest Wood Cup and the wittiest ones will tell you it takes actually qualifying for the Cup field. The rest is just icing on the cake.
“You can’t win it unless you’re in it,” says 11-year veteran Greg Bohannan, who is in search of his first win on the FLW Tour. “The awesome thing is we all put the work in. You work so hard for seven tournaments. I’m just going to try to have fun and enjoy it.”
The Bentonville, Ark., pro knows the biggest part of the battle is in the rearview. Just making the 56-angler field is a challenge, especially in a tournament field as loaded with talent as the 2018 iteration.
Bohannan joins just one other Arkansas native in that talented field: Mark Rose.
Yes, 2018 Pennzoil Marine Angler of the Year Mark Rose. He also happens to be Bohannan’s Tour roommate.
“Rose is one of my best friends,” Bohannan says. “It’s awesome having someone on Tour you can trust 100 percent. He’s helped me a lot in my fishing, and I try to help him any time I can.
“But I’d sure like to beat him, too. If it comes down to me and him in the finals, that’d be awesome. I still want to win, and I guarantee if you ask him he’ll say the same thing.”
Hot Springs and Lake Ouachita – home of the 2018 FLW Cup – isn’t exactly in Bohannan’s backyard, but it certainly isn’t too far from home either. He’s familiar with the fishery and has spent enough time on its waters to know it’s going to take versatility and patience to weigh in some solid bags in the August championship event.
“There’s probably more grass in it than we’ve had in a long time,” says Bohannan. “I think it’s going to take a mixture [of offshore fishing and shallow fishing]. I just don’t know if a person can win it off one thing over three days. I really think it will take a combination of both to win the event.”
Versatility is something Bohannan has learned over the course of his career, due in part to his modus operandi of being as consistent an angler as he can be. Home run hitters cash some big checks, but they also strike out more than Bohannan would ever feel comfortable with. Being a versatile angler allows him to remain consistent in all tournament conditions.
“I’ve always been one of those people who has tried to stay consistent, tried to get as many checks as I can, tried to make as many championships as I can. I feel like when it’s your time to win it’ll come.
“I would sure like to win one,” he adds. “The Cup would be an awesome one. I would definitely like to win a Tour event, and I feel like if you stay consistent enough you’ll get that shot to win one.”
There are certainly worse tournaments at which to notch your first major victory. Still, it won’t be pressure that is to blame if it doesn’t happen for Bohannan this time around.
“I’ve tried to approach it just like any other tournament, really,” he says. “This will be my sixth one. It seems like the first few, when you go, you’re kind of in awe with the amount of people there. There’s a lot of hype and a lot of things going on.
“I just want to focus on the tournament and not worry about any of the hype and try to go out there and really try to work hard.”
It took a serious amount of hard work, versatility and consistency just to make the Cup. Now it’s Bohannan’s time to make sure it all pays off.