The FLW Tour will visit the Red River in Shreveport, La., Feb. 10-13 for the first stop in 2010. Hosted by the Shreveport Regional Sports Authority, the tournament will feature as many as 300 top bass 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.
“I can’t wait to go fishing again,” said Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, who was the 2009 Angler of the Year. “FLW has put together a good schedule of events and the Red River will be a great place to start. The river is a great fishery full of healthy fat fish. I think the key to this tournament is going to be managing the fish that get found, it is going to be a matter of who can catch fish better than anybody else.”
“There are only a few good dominant areas to fish so most likely guys are going to be bunched up in certain spots, I think Pools 4 and 5 will be two of those areas. Pool 3 is a smaller area with little to no consistency so most anglers will probably stay away from there.
“It used to be about six or seven years ago that the river held some secrets, but it’s not like that anymore. You are really going to have to work for your fish and out-fish the next guy. The river is also difficult to move from place to place so there won’t be any running and gunning this tournament.”
Wendlandt added that this tournament will be about old-fashioned river fishing. The fish are going to be pre-spawn so will be in shallow, clear water. Spinnerbaits, jigs, lizards and brush hogs will be baits of choice.
Anglers will take off from the Red River South Marina located at 250 Red River South Marina Road in Bossier City at 7:30 each morning. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday weigh-ins will also be held at the marina beginning at 3:30 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Shreveport Convention Center located at 400 Caddo Street in Shreveport beginning at 4 p.m.
Fans will be treated to a Family Fun Zone at the Shreveport Convention Center on Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday prior to the final weigh-in from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be a drawing for a Can-Am ATV and kid’s rod and reel combos will be given to the first 300 kids under 14 in attendance. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include a Ranger boat simulator and assorted fishing-themed games. All activities are free and open to the public. For additional event information and to register for the ATV, visit FLWOutdoors.com/RedRiver
In FLW Tour competition, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. This year’s Cup will be in Atlanta Aug. 5-8 on Lake Lanier.
Coverage of the Red River tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS. “FLW Outdoors,” will air April 4 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. FLWOutdoors.com
