The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) is heading to Chesapeake Bay Oct. 11-13 for one of six BFL Regional Championship Tournaments. The three-day event, presented by Lowrance, will feature the highest-ranked 45 boaters and 45 co-anglers from each of the Buckeye,North Carolina, Northeast and Shenandoah BFL divisions, along with the five individual qualifying event winners.
The winning boater will receive a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard and a check for $20,000, while the winning co-angler will receive a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard. The top six boaters and co-anglers at each regional will advance to one of the longest-running championships in bass fishing – the 2019 BFL All-American, which will take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland.
“We have had a historical amount of rain since July. But now, everything is settled and looking to be good for the next couple of weeks,” said FLW Tour pro Bryan Schmitt of Deale, Maryland, who has earned five career wins on the Chesapeake Bay in FLW competition. “The habitats are still there –the grass, wood and lily pads – and all shoudl be players.
“Historically, productive areas have included the North East River – where the tournament is launching from – and lower eastern shore rivers, like Still Pond Creek and Fairlee Creek. Vibrating jigs, creature-style baits, crankbaits, and potentially some topwater baits will be popular lures.”
Schmitt said that local knowledge of the fishery will be a key factor for this tournament.
“Knowing how to deal with unusual circumstances with tidal waters will be important,” said Schmitt. “It’s an excellent fishery full of big bass. Even with the seasonal transitions, there’s still going to be some strong limits weighed in.”
Anglers will take off from Anchor Marina, located at 36 Iroquois Drive in North East, at 7:30 a.m. EDT each day. Weigh-ins Thursday and Friday, Oct. 11-12, will be held at the marina beginning at 3:30 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in, Oct. 13, will held at Cabela’s, located at 1100 Christiana Mall, in Newark, Delaware, and will begin at 4:30 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The T-H Marine BFL Regional Tournament on Chesapeake Bay is hosted by the Cecil County, Maryland, Tourism.
The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they 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 BFL All-American. The 2019 BFL All-American will take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagra m, YouTube and Snapchat.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagra m, YouTube and Snapchat.
