Championship Week Heading for North Alabama
College Fishing, High School Fishing and BFL finales going down on the Tennessee River
Six champions will be crowned and two Forrest Wood Cup berths will be won next week when FLW hosts the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League All-American, YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship and TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship on the Tennessee River chain of lakes in north Alabama.
The tournaments, which get underway Wednesday with the first day of the college title bout, will culminate on Saturday at McFarland Park on the shores of Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala., with a three-part weigh-in featuring the top anglers from each series.
Here’s the breakdown of next week’s events:
2017 T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League All-American
Pickwick Lake – June 1-3
The best bass anglers from FLW’s popular T-H Marine FLW BFL series and the top finishers from the 2017 The Bass Federation National Championship – 98 boaters and co-anglers total – will compete on Pickwick Lake June 1-3, with the winning boater earning a spot at the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, plus up to $120,000 if Ranger Cup qualified. The co-angler champion can earn $60,000. The All-American is hosted by Florence/Lauderdale Tourism.
Qualifiers earned their spots at the All-American via the 2016 BFL Regionals and Wild Card, or by finishing as the top boater or co-angler from one of the seven TBF divisions at the TBF National Championship. All anglers will fish out of new Ranger bass boats provided by FLW and Ranger. The field will be cut to the top 10 for the final day.
Tournament week details
All-American week begins on Tuesday, May 30 with a pretournament banquet and meeting. Official practice day in the All-American Rangers is Wednesday, May 31. Each of the tournament’s three days of competition – Thursday through Saturday – will begin at McFarland Park in Florence, Ala., at 7 a.m. CT. Weigh-ins will be held at the park each day starting at 3:30 p.m.
More information
Tournament preview, TV broadcast dates and more info
2017 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship
Wheeler Lake – May 31-June 2
Forrest Wood Cup Fish-Off
Wilson Lake – June 3
Bass fishing’s collegiate stars kick off their annual championship on Wednesday, May 31 on Wheeler Lake in a three-day tournament presented by Lowrance C-Map Genesis and hosted by Florence/Lauderdale Tourism. The field consists of 148 college bass fishing teams that qualified during the 2016 season. They’ll be competing for a $30,000 prize package that includes a new Ranger Z175 bass boat with a 90-hp Evinrude outboard.
The field will be cut to the top 10 teams for Friday’s final round, after which the college champs will be crowned. The two members of the winning team will then participate in a one-day fish-off on Saturday, June 3 on Wilson Lake, with the winner earning a spot in the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup.
Tournament week details
A two-day official practice period takes place Sunday and Monday, May 28-29. Anglers can practice for a half-day on Tuesday, May 30 before the official registration banquet. Tournament takeoffs for each of the three competition days, spanning Wednesday through Friday, will take place at 6:30 a.m. CT at Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville, Ala. Only the top 10 teams compete on day three. Weigh-ins on days one and two begin at 2:30 p.m. at Joe Wheeler State Park. The day three weigh-in is set to start at 3 p.m. Friday at McFarland Park in Florence, Ala., prior to the All-American weigh-in. Saturday’s fish-off begins at 6:30 a.m. on Wilson Lake. The two anglers will weigh in at 3:25 p.m. at McFarland Park.
More information
Tournament preview, TV broadcast dates, field list and more info
2017 TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship
Wheeler Lake – June 3
Prep fishing’s best teams from across the country will square off in the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship on Wheeler Lake on Saturday, June 3.
The field for the tournament, which is hosted by Florence/Lauderdale Tourism, consists of 13 two-angler teams that qualified by finishing in the top 10 percent of teams at each 2016 Student Angler Federation High School Fishing Conference Championship. High school anglers and their boat captains will ride in Ranger bass boats provided by Ranger and FLW. They’ll compete for a top prize of a $10,000 scholarship, to be split between both members of the winning team.
Note: A second 2017 championship event will be held June 27-July 1 at Pickwick. Contestants in that event qualify via 2017 season tournaments.
Tournament week details
Teams can practice from May 29-June 2, with the final day being a half-day practice period prior to official registration. The anglers will also be recognized on the All-American stage at McFarland Park in Florence, Ala., on Friday afternoon. The one-day tournament begins on Saturday, June 3 at 6:30 a.m. CT at Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville, Ala. Weigh-in will start at 3 p.m. at McFarland Park.
More information