FLW Series to visit Lake Roosevelt
Western Division Angler of the Year title on the line
PAYSON, Ariz. – The FLW Series will visit Lake Roosevelt in Payson, Ariz., Sept. 22-25 for the final stop of the National Guard Western Division circuit. Hosted by the Town of Payson, the tournament will feature as many as 300 top bass anglers casting for top awards up to $50,000 in the Pro Division and a Ranger 177TR with a 90 horsepower Evinrude or Yamaha outboard in the Co-angler Division.
“The lake is healthy, there should be a good Sept. bite going on and just a lot of fish to be caught,” said National Guard pro Clifford Pirch of Payson, Ariz., who is currently in 12th spot for angler of the year. “There will be a variety of fishing opportunities available on Lake Roosevelt which makes it such a fun lake to fish.
“You’ll see guys fishing shallow cover, off-shore and river fishing; there is clear water as well as off-color water -there is just a ton of patterns that will be going on and every technique will work. I like to fish shallow and off-shore, it will be hard for me to decide which way to go.”
Anglers will take off from Cholla Recreation Site located five miles NW of Roosevelt Dam on Highway 188 in Roosevelt at 7 each morning. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday weigh-ins will also be held at the marina beginning at 2:30 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at Chapman Auto Center located at 198 N. Beeline Highway in Payson beginning at 4 p.m.
Payson fans are in for an extra treat as the town of Payson will be hosting FLW Fun Day, Sept. 18 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Green Valley Park. AZGFD is offering a free family day of fishing including loaner rods and bait; meet some of the premiere FLW pro anglers including Brent Ehrler, Clifford Pirch, Brett Hite, Mike Folkestad, and Tim Klinger; plus plenty of outdoor family activities to enjoy. To learn more go to Paysonrimcountry.com.
On Saturday, Sept. 25 fans will be treated to a Family Fun Zone at Chapman Auto Center prior to the final weigh-in from noon to 4 p.m. There will be a drawing for a $300 Cabela’s gift card and drawings for rod and reel combos will be held every 30 minutes during the event. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include a Ranger boat simulator and assorted fishing-themed games. All activities are free and open to the public.
In FLW Series competition, anglers are also vying for valuable points to qualify for the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The top-10 anglers in the point standings after this event will qualify for next year’s championship.
Coverage of the Lake Roosevelt tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS. “FLW Outdoors,” will air Oct. 31 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, call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FantasyFishing.com.