Walmart FLW Tour Pros Eye Potomac River for Fourth Major of Season

   05.04.12

Walmart FLW Tour Pros Eye Potomac River for Fourth Major of Season

The Walmart FLW Tour on the Potomac River presented by the National Guard will visit National Harbor, Md., May 17-20 for the fourth major of its 17th season. Hosted by National Harbor, the tournament will feature a full field of the world’s best bass pros and co-anglers casting for top awards up to $125,000 cash in the Pro Division and up to $25,000 cash in the Co-angler Division.

Castrol pro David Dudley of Lynchburg, Va., is fresh off a win at the April Tour event at Beaver Lake. Dudley, who has won more than $2.8 million in FLW competition, said the bite on the Potomac is hot right now, and he anticipates most anglers will be able to fish to their strengths and be productive.

“The fish are going to be biting,” Dudley said. “There’s going to be lots of fish caught and everybody will have limits. The fishery is really healthy this year.

“It was great last year, but the fish have all put on a quarter of a pound to a half pound this year, so the weights will likely be higher this year than they were last year,” Dudley added.

Dudley predicted the winning angler will haul in 18 pounds of bass a day to claim the title of Potomac River champion.

“When you hit the Potomac River in May it’s pretty much just pick your strength and fish it,” Dudley said. “Whatever power technique you like to do, you can do it. Spinnerbaits, flipping … They’re just going to be biting. I could mention 15 baits and all 15 baits will produce. I do think that it will ultimately be won by flipping.”

Dudley said he likes his chances of picking up his fourth FLW Tour win on the Potomac River.

“It’s not like you come across wins every year,” Dudley said. “It’s hard to win, period. I mean, the stars have to align. But I would say the stars are aligning on a body of water I’m very familiar with. I’m definitely happy knowing we’re going to the Potomac River. I like my odds.

“You’ve still got to be in the right place to get those bigger bites,” Dudley added.

In FLW Tour competition, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. This year’s Cup will be in Duluth/Gainesville, Ga., Aug. 9-12 on Lake Lanier and anglers could win as much as $500,000 – the sport’s biggest award. Anglers are also vying for the prestigious 2012 Walmart FLW Tour Angler of the Year presented by Kellogg’s title that will be determined by the most points accumulated over the six Tour Majors.

Anglers will take off from National Harbor Marina located at 168 National Harbor Plaza in National Harbor at 6:30 a.m. each morning. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will be held at National Harbor Marina beginning at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s final weigh-ins will be held at National Harbor Marina beginning at 4 p.m.

Fans will be treated to the FLW Expo at National Harbor Marina on Saturday and Sunday from noon-4 p.m. prior to the final weigh-ins. The Expo includes Ranger boat simulators, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by sponsors, and fans can learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public. On Sunday one lucky fishing fan will win a $500 Walmart gift card. The gift card giveaway is free to enter but the winner must be present at the conclusion of Sunday’s final weigh-in to win.

As part of the FLW Tour’s community outreach initiative, FLW will be working in conjunction with Living Classrooms of the National Capital Region, Pepco and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to host the fifth annual Nation’s River Bass Tournament, which will feature more than 300 local students. The tournament provides underserved youth with a hands-on fishing and boating experience to increase their exposure to and appreciation for our nation’s natural resources. The tournament and associated activities will be May 18 from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. at the piers at National Harbor. The Nation’s River Bass Tournament weigh-in will be held on the FLW Tour stage at 11 a.m.

Coverage of the Potomac River tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network when “FLW” airs June 24 from 1 – 2 p.m. ET. “FLW” is hosted by Jason Harper and is broadcast to more than 559 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWOutdoors.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

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