Coming Up in Walmart BFL Competition: Bama, Gator Divisions
OutdoorHub 02.06.13
Advisory for Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013
WHAT: The 2013 Walmart BFL season continues with two tournaments on Saturday, Feb. 16. The Bama division holds its first tournament of the season on Lake Martin and the Gator division continues on Lake Okeechobee. Up to 400 boaters and co-anglers will be competing in each event for top awards up to $8,000 and $3,000 respectively.
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 16
WHERE:
Bama Division
Lake Martin
Wind Creek State Park, 4325 Alabama Highway 128, Alexander City, Ala.
NOTES: Because of the yearly pulling of the water by Alabama’s water management officials, Lake Martin is currently 10 feet below full pool. Effects of the low water levels can be seen throughout the lake, leaving some of the docks and other shallow structure out of play, and bunching up good-sized largemouth on the remaining cover. Anglers are reporting success in the northern region of the lake where brush-piles, stumps and trees are more abundant. Lake Martin is also known for its large schools of spotted bass that prefer to reside near the lake’s deeper structure. Downsizing and fishing a little deeper than normal may be the ticket to getting more bites throughout the day. Popular lures should include finesse worms, jigs, reaction-type baits and other soft plastics.
WHERE:
Gator Division
Lake Okeechobee
C. Scott Driver Park, 10100 W. Highway 78, Okeechobee, Fla.
NOTES: The water level on Lake Okeechobee is still up, creating miles of prime habitat for Okeechobee’s notoriously oversized largemouth. Fishing during the month of February can often be hectic, as cold fronts are capable of making even the most aggressive Florida-strain largemouth bass turn skittish. Flipping heavily weighted plastics and jigs into the thickest mats should produce some of the biggest fish of the tournament, but anglers should also expect to catch them on topwater, reaction-style baits, and weightless soft plastics. If temperatures and winds hold stable, expect huge stringers from this legendary fishery.
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. The 2013 BFL All-American is being held June 27-29 on Nickajack Lake in Chattanooga, Tenn. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
