WINNECONNE, Wis. – The Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Great Lakes Division will visit the Wolf River Chain on Aug 16. This will mark the division’s fourth event of the year and the first somewhere besides the Upper Mississippi River.
As the fourth event of the season, all anglers will receive an Abu Garcia gift pack valued at $230 for boaters and $180 for co-anglers – a value that exceeds the entry fee. It’s like Fishing 4 FREE! Plus, participants will receive a code for 25% off an order at AbuGarcia.com. Sign up today at MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270) 252-1000 to take advantage of this incredible offer. Anglers will receive their gift box at the event.
This year, BFL anglers benefit from an expanded slate of Regionals, which minimizes travel costs and provides more opportunities to qualify for the $120,000 BFL All-American while fishing familiar, closer-to-home waters. Click here to find out more.
What to expect
La Crosse, Wisconsin’s Brian Fitzpatrick has been fishing BFLs for three decades and has enjoyed plenty of success in the region, including two wins on the Wolf River Chain. He won there last season, but that was a June event, which is typically when he fishes there.
“We’ve all been going for here for years, but it’s normally much earlier, so I’m going to be like everyone else who’s fishing and not knowing exactly what to expect,” he said. “But, the good thing about this place is you can do whatever you like because there are so many options. You can run up the rivers and fish shallow in the grass for largemouth or fish the current for smallmouth. Then, you can even go out to Lake Winnebago for the smallmouth. It’s a place where you can gravitate to whatever you feel comfortable with.”
Fitzpatrick says that both largemouth and smallmouth could be the way to win, but chasing smallmouth can be a gamble.
“The smallmouth, especially on Winnebago, tend to run a little bigger, but they can be hard to count on,” he said. “You have to hope there’s not too much wind or not enough wind to get on a good smallmouth bite. The largemouth are a little more reliable and what I plan to target.”
The fishing is expected to be good throughout the field, and Fitzpatrick says a kicker bite will be crucial.
“If you can catch a 4-pounder, that will go a long way in this one, because the weights will be stacked tightly,” he predicted.
Baits to bring
As a shallow water angler, Fitzpatrick says that a frog, buzzbait and swim jig are a must. He says a drop-shot rig will do well for those looking to target the smallmouth.
What will it take?
When Fitzpatrick won last June, he brought in 16 pounds, 10 ounces, and he expects a similar winning bag this year, but anything better than 15 pounds should put boaters in the running. Somewhere in the 12- to 13-pound range should do the trick to cash a check.