Chevy Wild Card heads to Lake Guntersville
Last chance to qualify for All-American set for Oct. 26-27
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – The Walmart Bass Fishing League is headed to Lake Guntersville Oct. 26-27 for the Chevy Wild Card event, where boaters and co-anglers will compete for berths in the prestigious Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, the tournament that has kick-started the professional fishing career of numerous anglers.
Anglers who have entered all five tournaments in a BFL division this season, paid their entry fees and did not qualify for a regional are eligible to compete in the Chevy Wild Card.
“They’ve been catching some big fish this year on Guntersville,” said Straight Talk pro Scott Canterbury of Springville, Ala. “The grass is really good right now and looks healthier than it has been the past few years. The frog bite is great right now. And it’s late October – you just know that the Alabama rig bite is going to bust loose any minute.
“I’ve heard that a few guys are starting to catch them on the A-rig,” Canterbury continued. “That’s really the x-factor in this tournament. If that thing gets going, it can dominate anything.
“That being said, I still think a few anglers will make the All-American without throwing the rig,” Canterbury said. “The frog bite has been that good. Some guys are going to catch them by flipping the deeper hydrilla as well. I think that most anglers will be fishing in the mid- to upper-lake area. I’d be looking near Mud and Jones Creek.”
Canterbury suggested that the winner would have a minimum of 41 to 45 pounds, but said the weights could be more if the Alabama rig bite turns on.
“Guys are catching 20 pounds a day right now not throwing the rig,” Canterbury said. “I think that it’ll take around 38 pounds to make that important top-six cut. We all saw what Paul Elias did last year with that rig, though, and it was right around the same time. We could very easily see some monster stringers.
“Anglers are going to need to slow down and really be thorough when covering water,” Canterbury went on to say. “When you’re throwing that frog into the milfoil, be precise and accurate with your casts. Listen for the bream – you can hear them popping on those mats. If you decide to move deeper, look for the baitfish. The big fish will be underneath the bait.”
Anglers will take off from Lake Guntersville State Park located at 7966 Alabama Highway 227 in Guntersville, Ala., at 7 a.m. each day. Weigh-ins will also be held at Lake Guntersville State Park beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The BFL Chevy Wild Card event is being hosted by the Marshall County Convention & Visitors Bureau. Tournament registration is open until Oct. 24. Anglers interested in registering my call (270)-252-1000 for more information.
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. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart 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.
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