The most competitive circuit in professional bass fishing is coming to Greenpond Landing March 17-20, as more than 170 anglers will take to the lake as part of the 2016 Walmart FLW Tour at Lake Hartwell presented by Evinrude.
Hosted by the Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau, the tournament will many of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals and co-anglers casting for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the pro division and up
to $25,000 cash in the co-angler division.
The Lake Hartwell event will mark the organization’s 150th FLW Tour event, dating back to 1996.
“With the warming trend we’ve had, Lake Hartwell is going to fish really well for this tournament,” said Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, South Carolina, the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup Champion. “Fish will be feeding heavily in preparation for the spawn which means there’ll be a lot of opportunities for anglers to fish to their strengths.”“
In FLW Tour competition, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2016 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama, Aug. 4-7 and is hosted by the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Anglers will take off and weigh-in on all four days of competition at Green Pond Landing located at 470 Green Pond Road in Anderson at 7:30 a.m. each day. Weigh-ins on Thursday and Friday will begin at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s final weigh-ins will begin at 4 p.m.
Fans will also be treated to the FLW Expo on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at Green Pond Landing prior to the final weigh-ins. The Expo includes interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and the opportunity to interact with professional anglers to learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.
As part of the FLW Tour’s community outreach initiative, FLW Tour anglers will visit students at Lakeside Middle School in Anderson on Wednesday, March 16, from 8-9:30 a.m. to introduce students to fishing and outdoor activities in their community. During the presentations the pro anglers will reinforce how science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) relate to outdoor activities as well as boating safety. The presentation will promote the sport of fishing and outdoor recreation and give youth the information they need to “Get Outdoors. Go Fish!”
Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at Chris Taylor Memorial Park located at 5 Jim Ed Rice Circle in Anderson on Saturday, March 19, from 9-11 a.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to area youth 15 years of age and younger and Special Olympics athletes. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. All bait is provided by the DMF Bait Company.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.