FLW Tour headed to Lake Ouachita
Bream beds may prove key to success
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The FLW Tour will visit Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Ark., May 26-29 for the fourth stop of the circuit. Hosted by the Hot Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Chevy Open will feature as many as 300 bass anglers casting for top awards up to $125,000 cash in the Pro Division and up to $25,000 cash in the Co-angler Division.
“I won’t say (the fishing) won’t get tough, but it wasn’t last week,” said Folgers pro Scott Suggs of Bryant, Ark., who became professional fishing’s first instant millionaire when he won the 2007 Forrest Wood Cup at Lake Ouachita. “It was pretty stinking good. Probably as good as I’ve seen it that time of year in several years.”
Suggs said Ouachita seems to be on the mend from a 2002 outbreak of what Arkansas Game and Fish Commission officials determined was largemouth bass virus (LMBV). Suggs said he believes Ouachita is still five years away from being the powerhouse fishery it once was. That being said, Suggs said the fishing is fantastic.
Suggs said the bass will be in a postspawn mode, but the thing anglers will want to key on is bedding bream. Suggs said the anglers who find the bedding bream will be tough to beat.
“There’s not a lake in the country that has more bluegill than that lake,” Suggs said. “I’ve been to a lot of lakes and seen maybe one or two bass hanging around the bluegill beds, but I’ve seen as many as eight to 10 hanging around them over here.”
Suggs said anglers will be able to use a variety of techniques to catch fish near bream beds, including jerking a Bomber Long A through beds as well as dragging a jig or worm through the beds. Suggs said the key is for anglers to keep changing techniques until they find what produces. Suggs also said weather changes shouldn’t be a factor in the Chevy Open.
“We had bluebird, slick days on Thursday and caught the snot out of them,” Suggs said. “Then we turned around and had windy weather on Friday, and it was overcast and cloud-covered and we caught the snot out of them. Then Saturday a front moved through and the high was like 59 or 60 – colder than snot – then it bluebirded off and we caught the snot out of them.”
Anglers will take off from Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa located at 994 Mountain Harbor Road in Mount Ida, Ark., at 6:30 each morning. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will also be held at Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Hot Springs Convention Center located at 134 Convention Blvd. in Hot Springs beginning at 4 p.m.
Fans will be treated to the FLW Outdoors Expo at the Hot Springs Convention Center on Friday from 4-9 p.m. and Saturday prior to the final weigh-in from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The final weigh-in will be held at Summit Arena. There will be a drawing for a Can-Am ATV and rod and reel combos will be given to the first 300 kids under 14 in attendance on Saturday. The FLW Outdoors Expo includes Ranger boat simulators, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public. For a full schedule of events, additional information and to register for the ATV, visit FLWOutdoors.com/chevyopen.
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 Lake Ouachita tournament will be broadcast in high definition (HD) on VERSUS. “FLW Outdoors” will air June 27 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.