The Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing, is bringing the world’s best bass anglers to Lake Lanier Aug. 5-8, 2010. Seventy-eight of the greatest pros in the sport are steeling themselves for four days of exciting competition, and at the end of it all, one angler will stand alone as champion and hoist the prestigious Cup.
“The Forrest Wood Cup is the most important event, most competitive event and most difficult-to-qualify-for event in our sport,” said FLW Outdoors President and CEO Charlie Evans. “Forrest Wood Cup competitors are world-class athletes with skills that are second to none.”
In addition to the Cup, the winning pro will take home $500,000 plus a possible $100,000 Ranger Cup contingency bonus.
Nobody is eyeing the prestigious championship title more than the local anglers who have qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup.
“It’s pretty exciting, actually, to win $500,000 to catch fish,” said Chevy pro Luke Clausen of Gainesville, Ga., who won the 2004 Forrest Wood Cup at Logan Martin Lake. “And Lake Lanier is a fun place to fish. Lake Lanier is one of, if not the best spotted bass fisheries in the country.
“Lake Lanier is a typical lake that when it gets low and then the water level comes back up, there’s a lot of fertility in the water and those fish grow quick. There’s a lot of big spotted bass in there and they’re a little bit easier to catch than the largemouth are this time of year when the water’s as warm as it is.”
Tom Mann Jr. of Buford, Ga., who is a veteran Lake Lanier fisherman, said while home-lake advantage may come into play, Lake Lanier may not give up the big bite too often during the course of the tournament.
“I fished every day for two weeks up until the cutoff time,” Mann said. “Fishing is tougher than normal on the lake.
“I think there will be some decent stringers caught,” Mann added. “But normally in the past four or five years I would have said it would have taken somewhere between 16 and 18 pounds a day to win this tournament. But now with the way it’s fishing, I’m going to say it will take somewhere from 13 to 15 pounds.”
Mann said he’s still catching quality 3- and 4-pounders, just not as frequently as he has in the past. He attributes the slow bite to warmer-than-normal water temperatures and a diminished population of blueback herring. Blueback herring play a vital role as bait for Lake Lanier bass. Mann said Lanier’s elevated water level also may be a factor, as the full summer pool may have scattered bass.
Clausen said popular techniques for anglers will include small finesse worms rigged on a shaky-head rig or drop-shot rig on light line as well as topwater baits.
“On Lake Lanier you’ll see a lot of different baits thrown,” Clausen said. “Topwater baits are always hard to beat. The water is so clear … the fish are pretty smart and they can’t see things as well up on the surface. They’ll be chasing the blueback herring around, so a topwater will be hard to beat.”
Daily takeoff ceremonies will be held at Laurel Park, located at 3100 Old Cleveland Hwy. in Gainesville, Ga., each morning from 6:30 to 7 a.m. Takeoffs will commence at 7 a.m. Weigh-ins will be held daily at 5 p.m. at The Arena at Gwinnett Center located at 6400 Sugarloaf Pkwy. in Duluth, Ga.
The FLW Outdoors Expo will be held in conjunction with the Forrest Wood Cup at the Gwinnett Convention Center on Friday from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. FLW Outdoors Expo includes Ranger boat simulators, angler seminars, the opportunity to meet professional anglers, see and test the latest outdoor equipment, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.
Fishing fans can register to win a Ranger boat that will be given away after the champion is crowned. Fans can register to win at ForrestWoodCup.com and must be present to win.
Visit ForrestWoodCup.com for Forrest Wood Cup details and updated information.
Coverage of the Forrest Wood Cup at Lake Lanier will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS. “FLW Outdoors,” will air Dec. 26 from 12:30 to 1:30 ET. “FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide.
ABOUT FLW OUTDOORS FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 189 tournaments in 2010. FLW Outdoors has also taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing awarding the largest prizes in the history of fantasy sports. FLW Outdoors memberships are available featuring numerous benefits including Player’s Advantage. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FantasyFishing.com.
