FLW Series visits Clark’s Hill Lake

The $7.1 million Walmart FLW Series® will visit Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Ga., Sept. 16 – 19 for its final stop on the BP Eastern Division circuit. Hosted by the Columbia County Georgia Convention & Visitors Bureau, the tournament will feature as many as 300…

The $7.1 million Walmart FLW Series® will visit Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Ga., Sept. 16 – 19 for its final stop on the BP Eastern Division circuit. Hosted by the Columbia County Georgia Convention & Visitors Bureau, the tournament will feature as many as 300 top bass anglers casting for top awards of $125,000 in the Pro Division and $25,000 in the Co-angler Division.

“I am excited,” said Team Chevy pro Luke Clausen of Gainesville, Ga., who is currently in eighth place for Land O’ Lakes Angler of the Year (AOY). “Fishing is going to be tough at this event. The door is wide open for somebody to try something a little different and blow the event away.”

Team National Guard pro Scott Martin of Clewiston, Fla., who is currently in third place for AOY, believes that the average daily weight caught will be 10 – 12 pounds and that it will take 15 pounds per day to win the event.

“Fishing this year is going to be very similar to last year; the lake is higher than it was but still low compared to normal conditions,” said Martin. “It’s going to be a tough bite, not a lot will be landed. There are two ways the fish will be caught, some anglers will fish the lake and look for schooling activity; others will run up the river to flip ‘n fish.”

A top 10 finish for either Martin, just 35 points behind leader Team Kellogg’s pro Dave Lefebre of Union City, Pa., or Clausen, 55 points off the mark, could mean the coveted AOY award.

“I have a lot of momentum going into this event,” Martin said. “I have fished well, especially the second half of the season, placing in the top 10 the last three FLW Series events. I would love to end the season that way too.”

Anglers will take off from Wildwood Park Marina located at 6212 Holloway Road in Appling at 7:00 each morning. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Walmart store located at 4469 Washington Road, Evans, Ga., beginning at 4 p.m. Children will also be treated to a Family Fun Zone prior to Saturday’s weigh-in from noon to 4 p.m. at Walmart. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include a trout pond, a Ranger boat simulator and assorted fishing-themed games. All activities are free and open to the public.

The entire field competes for the first three days of FLW Series events. Co-angler winners are determined on day three based on the heaviest accumulated three-day weight. The top 10 professionals continue competition on day four, and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.

In FLW Series competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The total purse for the Clarks Hill Lake tournament is nearly $900,000, including $10,000 through 50th place in the Pro Division. Ultimately, all anglers in the tournament will also be competing for valuable points in the hope of qualifying for a shot at advancing to the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup, where the winning pro will earn as much as $1 million – the sport’s biggest award.

Coverage of the Clarks Hill Lake tournament, hosted by the Columbia County Georgia Convention & Visitors Bureau, will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS, the network which brings anglers the best fishing programming on television featuring the most-trusted authorities on the water. The Emmy-nominated “FLW Outdoors,” will air Oct. 11 from 12:30 to 1:30 ET. “FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide, including internationally through agreements with WFN (World Fishing Network) and Matchroom Sport to such countries as Canada, Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world.

Total awards are based on a full field of 150 boats in every tournament.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors has taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player’s Advantage to get your edge and win.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.