The Hoosier and Bama Divisions of the Walmart BFL Competition Continue Saturday, March 29
OutdoorHub 03.18.14
The 2014 Walmart BFL season continues with four tournaments on Saturday, March 29. The Bama division will fish Lake Martin, the Hoosier division will start their season on Lake Patoka, the Okie division will head to the Arkansas River and the Ozark division will take on the Lake of the Ozarks. 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, March 29, 2014
WHERE:
Bama Division
Lake Martin
Wind Creek State Park
4325 Alabama Highway 128
Alexander City, Ala.
NOTES: The bass fishing on Lake Martin is expected to be good. The fish are likely to be in a pre-spawn pattern due to the harsh winter, and a mix of spotted bass and largemouth will probably be brought to the scales. Lipless crankbaits and umbrella rigs are expected to be strong players but a variety of other baits like jerkbaits, crankbaits and jigs could play a role. The winner will probably bring a five-bass limit weighing about 18 pounds to the scales.
WHERE:
Hoosier Division
Lake Patoka
Newton-Stewart South Marina
3084 North Dillard Road
Birdseye, Ind.
NOTES: The bass fishing on Lake Patoka should be good. The fish are expected to be pre-spawn and anglers will likely target the main lake grass or fish up the river around wood cover. Jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and jigs will be in the hands of many of the competitors though a number of other springtime baits could be effective. The winning weight is expected to be about 16 pounds.
WHERE
Okie Division
Arkansas River
Three Forks Harbor
5201 Three Forks Road
Muskogee, Okla.
NOTES: The fishing on the Arkansas River is likely to be somewhat tough. The quality of the fishing will be heavily dependent on the water level of the river. If it is running high and cold the fishing will be very tough. Nonetheless, the pre-spawn phase is always a good time to fish, and competitors could certainly find fish bunched up and ready to bite. The backwaters will be a key area in this event. Jigs, spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits and swimjigs are expected to be important baits. The winner is expected to bring about 15 pounds to the scales.
WHERE
Ozark Division
Lake of the Ozarks
Pa He Tsi Ramp
711 Public Beach Road
Osage Beach, Mo.
NOTES: The bass fishing on the Lake of the Ozarks should be excellent. With warming weather and water, the bass should be pushing back into their spawning areas, and anglers are likely to be successful targeting them somewhere along the way. Umbrella rigs, jerkbaits, Storm Wiggle Warts, shaky-head rigs, jigs and crankbaits are likely to be effective and popular baits. The winning weight is expected to be about 20 pounds.
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 2014 BFL All-American is being held June 5-7 on Wilson Lake in Florence, Ala. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWOutdoors.
