7 Reasons Why This will be the Most Interesting Cup Ever
Unique challenges, opportunities await anglers at Wheeler Lake
Aug. 4-7. Put it on your calendar. Ask off work. Book your hotel room.
You don’t want to miss the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Ala. It figures to be one of the most interesting Cups in FLW history, if not No. 1 on the “most interesting” list.
What’s considered “interesting” is a subjective judgment, so allow me to convince you that I’m right, based on the following seven reasons.
1. It’s a “new” lake by Cup standards
Despite hosting a couple dozen or so tournaments on the Tennessee River every year, FLW has never hosted a Forrest Wood Cup on the acclaimed system of big-river reservoirs. Until 2016, that is. To that, I say … it’s about time.
August is a challenging month on just about every reservoir in the system, including Wheeler, but it’s also a time of great variety. That’s what’s so interesting about the Tennessee River system: There are a lot of factors in play, which makes the tournament just a bit unpredictable.
And because FLW hasn’t hosted many events on Wheeler in late summer, there are even more unknowns. At this point most pros aren’t really sure what to expect. We’ll get to see someone figure it all out on FLW’s grandest stage.
2. It’s in Alabama
How great is it to be going back to Alabama for the Cup? No other state is more bass-friendly (a.k.a. bass-crazy) than Alabama. Bass fishing and college football are sort of the state’s only officially sanctioned sports, and this event falls before football season. The Cup and accompanying Expo will feature packed crowds and tons of angler attention.
3. It should feature a stacked field of ledge masters
With two Tennessee River tournaments on the regular-season Tour schedule, plus the BFL All-American on Lake Barkley, which fishes a lot like Kentucky Lake, you can bet that there’ll be a good many Tennessee River experts in the Cup field. If this does turn out to be a ledge-fishing showdown, all the best ledge anglers should be there to duke it out.
4. Ray Hanselman will be there
Ray Hanselman never loses. Or so it seems. The dude won four FLW Series events in 2015 to qualify for the Cup. His streak included all three Texas Division events and the Championship on the Ohio River, where he figured out how to catch big smallmouths in the Kentucky Dam tailrace on the Tennessee River. Big smallmouths that live in tailwaters could be a factor in the Cup, so you might say Hanselman has already had his crash course on how to catch them. Plus, he pre-qualified in October, so he’s got plenty of time to pre-practice and learn what he can about Wheeler. Watch out for Hanselman. He’s a Tour-caliber pro with a real shot at the biggest title of the season.
5. There won’t be any co-anglers
I’m not taking sides here by including the pro-only format in this list, but it’s a big deal for the 2016 Cup. There’ll be no co-angler to net a pro’s fish on the first two days of competition. Likewise, there’ll be no one else casting to those ledge schools or surface schoolers or grass mats, which means a productive spot might last a day or two longer in a four-day event. That’s huge.
6. There will be a shallow bite
We’re in the midst of a bit of a shallow-fishing trend when it comes to Forrest Wood Cup winning patterns, and while many people fully expect the Wheeler tournament to be dominated out deep, there should actually be a very strong shallow bite. In fact, it’s possible that the best offshore pros in the game will be able to ply their preferred waters, while the best shallow fishermen will have access to equally solid fish on the bank. Translation: It’s anyone’s tournament to win.
7. We’ll have more and better tournament coverage
You won’t miss a cast or a catch when the FLW media team kicks off its 2016 Forrest Wood Cup coverage. We’ll be tracking every angler, as well as employing a crew of professional-anglers-turned-commentators on the water to break down all the action. Plus, FLW has several new live-coverage features in the works for the 2016 season that should make this Forrest Wood Cup the most viewed of all time.