The FLW Tour, the most competitive Tour in professional bass-fishing, returns to the water this week with the FLW Tour at Lake Lanier presented by Ranger Boats.
Hosted by the Gainesville Convention and Visitors Bureau, the tournament will feature 368 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals and co-anglers casting for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the pro division and up to $25,000 cash in the co-angler division.
The FLW Tour has visited Lake Lanier four times previously, with this year's stop marking the fifth visit in FLW’s 23-year history. The total purse for this year's tournament, which will be held Thursday-Sunday, is more than $930,000, including $10,000 through 60th place in the Pro Division.
“Our community benefits greatly from events like this one that are designed to include the entire family,” said Gainesville Tourism Manager Regina Dyer. “In the past six months, fishing has resulted in more than $2 million dollars in economic impact and showcased Lake Lanier as a world-class fishery and prime location for anglers of all ages. We’re excited to bring the FLW Tour to town and expect a great week of fun for all fans of fishing and the outdoors.”
Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EST Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and at 7:45 a.m. DST Sunday (Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday) from Laurel Park. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will be held at the park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the park but will begin at 4 p.m.
“I’m excited to finally showcase the jewel that Lake Lanier is for bass fishing,” said Jason Johnson of Dawsonville, who is fishing his fourth season as a professional on the FLW Tour. “We’ve had two Forrest Wood Cups here, but those are always in August – the toughest time of the year to fish. We’re hitting the lake at just the right time this year and it’s really going to show that Lake Lanier is the best spotted-bass tournament fishery in America. There is not another lake that has the quality and quantity of nice, spotted bass, and I’m anxious to show it off to the world.”
The lake is at full poll and Johnson expects largemouth bass to play a larger than normal role in the tournament.
“If the tournament isn’t won strictly on largemouth, the key will be having one or two mixed in each day,” he said. “The high water has flooded a lot of trees and sagebrush and there is enough water for the largemouth to get up into them. Guys are going to be catching fish with everything that you can throw in your tackle box.
“I think the winner will likely have a four-day total of 63½ to 64 pounds,” Johnson went on to say. “I think if you can catch 16 pounds a day, you’ll be right there at the end.”
Click here to read more about the tournament, including associated activities, some of them for youngsters.
