Nation’s best weekend anglers heading to Pickwick Lake for 34th annual BFL All-American
May 18th, 2017 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified May 18th, 2017 at 12:00 AM
The T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) is heading to Florence, Alabama, June 1-3 for the 34th annual BFL All-American on Pickwick Lake, when 98 of the best boaters and co-anglers from across the 24-division BFL circuit will cast for a cash prize of up to $120,000 in the Boater Division and $60,000 in the Co-angler Division. In addition to the six-figure payday, the top boater will receive an invitation to compete for bass fishing’s most coveted prize – the Forrest Wood Cup – held Aug. 11-13 on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina.
“It’s going to be really good tournament – Pickwick Lake is one of the best fisheries in the Tennessee River system,” said Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury of Odenville, Alabama, an eight-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier. “The fish are going to be just getting out on the ledges so they haven’t been pressured and will be easy to catch. Those schools will be really big – some of the guys will likely be able to catch 50 bass off of one spot.
“There also a lot of smaller areas where you only catch five or six fish from, but they weigh a bit more,” continued Canterbury. “This tournament could be won in the upriver current near the dam, down in the mid-lake eelgrass, or out on the ledges. It’s going to come down to who can get that 6- or 7-pounder to bite.”
Canterbury said swimbaits will be favored in this event, as well as big crankbaits and spoons on the ledges.
“When we competed there on Tour in 2016, Buddy Gross won it using a hair jig in eelgrass, so look for that,” said Canterbury. “Everyone was on the lower end on the ledges, while he hit areas mid-lake. Spinnerbaits may also be a player in the eelgrass, but it’s the tail-end of the shad spawn so we’ll see.”
The Alabama veteran said a three-day cumulative catch of 73 pounds should be enough to win it all.
“A 10-pounder could be caught any day,” said Canterbury. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see some 25- to 30-pound limits come in – the lake has been fishing that well that past couple of years.”
Competitors will take off from McFarland Park located at 200 Jim Spain Drive in Florence at 7 a.m. CDT each morning. Weigh-ins each day will be held at McFarland Park, and will begin at 3:30 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The 2017 BFL All-American on Pickwick Lake is being hosted by the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Bureau.
Television coverage of the BFL All-American at Pickwick Lake will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Oct. 11 from Noon-1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
For a full schedule of events, complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com.