On the cover: FLW Professional Angler Christopher Brasher Cover photo by Lora Fairchild

ANGLERS CONVERGE ON THE RED RIVER

FANS OF THE POPULAR BASSMASTER CLASSIC TOURNAMENT THAT ROLLED THROUGH SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER CITY LAST YEAR ARE IN FOR A REAL TREAT AGAIN THIS AUGUST WHEN PRO ANGLERS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY HIT THE RED RIVER FOR THE FLW FORREST WOOD CUP BASSFISHING TOURNAMENT.

The event will be held Aug. 15- 17 and will bring in the top 35 pro anglers from the Walmart FLW Tour competing for the top prize of $500,000 and a 50-pound silver award, while co-anglers will compete for a top prize of $50,000.

FLW and Shreveport-Bossier City have also partnered with The B.A.S.S. Federation to hold the Junior World Championship on Caddo Lake at the same time. This event will feature the top 84 high-school-aged anglers, some of who will likely go on to college and pro-level competitions.

The Forrest Wood Cup event is named for Forrest L. Wood, born in 1932, who is the founder of Ranger Boats and known as the developer of the modern bass boat. The boats are still made in Arkansas today.

Red River South Marina will be the official launch site for all four days, and CenturyLink Center will serve as the weigh-in site.

Some big names will be on the water, including the No. 1-ranked angler in world, Jason Christie, along with No. 1-money-winner David Dudley, Straight Talk pro Scott Canterbury, at least two former Bassmaster Classic winners and Keystone Light pro Brent Ehrler, who has more than $2 million in career earnings with FLW.

Besides the internationally televised tournament, a big draw for attendees will also be the FLW Expo at the Shreveport Convention Center, which will feature hundreds of exhibits and activities offering great deals on everything from baits to boats and tons of new hunting gear.

Attendees can enjoy free, educational fishing seminars, boat test rides and giveaways at the FLW Expo, and a concert at CenturyLink Center by up-and-coming country music star and Bastrop native Dylan Scott, presented by KISS Country 93.7 F.M., immediately prior to the tournament’s final weigh-in Aug. 18.

Also, History Channel’s “Swamp People,” cast members Troy Broussard and Chase Landry will join FLW College Fishing teams from Lamar University and LSU Shreveport for the “Bossier City Battle” fishing contest, followed by a meet-andgreet at the FLW Expo on Saturday and Sunday.

Kelly Wells, vice president of sports and tourism marketing for the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau, said it will cost around $500,000 to host the Forrest Wood Cup, FLW Expo and Junior World Championship together, but the city is anticipating approximately 80,000 people pulling into the area, a hotel sellout of all 10,000 rooms and a $20 million economic impact to the region.

“The 2009 Bassmaster Classic is what really put this region on the map for events of this size,” Wells said. “In terms of how much the city invested in that event, we went out on a limb and paid a premium, but it showed that we could do it. That really put us in the spotlight, and people were willing to give us a shot. We’ve since hosted the NCAA women’s first and second rounds, the 2012 Bassmaster Classic and now the Forrest Wood Cup, and we’re getting better every time at hosting these events.”

It’s a significant achievement since with the Bassmaster Classics and the FLW Forrest Wood Cup, Shreveport- Bossier City will soon be able to boast having hosted the two biggest bassfishing tournaments in the world.

That makes sense to FLW Tournament Director Bill Taylor, who said this region is ideal for an event such as the Forrest Wood Cup.

“Shreveport-Bossier is a great outdoor community,” he said. “The city has a great history of participation for events we’ve done here in the past, including one of our earliest Forrest Wood Cup events in the late ’90s. There’s a lot of proven interest and excitement in the community, and we’re anticipating huge crowds. It’s important to us, too, that the fishery can produce good quality catches. The Red River and the region meet those needs perfectly.

“Bassfishing is experiencing unprecedented growth lately,” Wells added. “Attendance at these events is way up so these big tours are looking for larger locations such as Shreveport-Bossier and the Red River.”

As for the fishing, Wells said, one of the challenges anglers will need to consider during the tournament is the summer heat since it will change the behavior of the fish.

“During the Bassmaster in February, a lot of anglers were going to the backwaters because it was cool and higher, and those areas were really opened up for fishing. The FLW event is going to be in August though, and with the water lower and hotter, they’ll need to head into some deeper waters where the fish go because it’s cooler.”

Some anglers are already preparing for that by doing practice fishing in the weeks leading to the event. Anglers can practice in the Red River up to two weeks before the event, then have to stop until just three days prior, when they can get in some lastminute practice.

Canterbury has been on the FLW Tour for seven seasons and finished in second place at the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Lanier in Georgia. He says he’s really looking forward to coming to Shreveport, but that seeking out the biggest catch on the Red River could be a little tricky because of navigation on the water and the time of year.

“Shreveport’s a great community, though fishing is going to be a challenge because every time we’ve come there for a tournament, it’s been in the spring, and now it’s the middle of the summer when it’s super hot. We’re going to need to figure out if the fish are out on the river or if they’re going to be in those famous backwaters where they’ve usually been. You’ve also got some navigation issues like stumps and stickups in the water that are unique to the area and once you get off the river, and that can make a difference, too. But you’ve got to be ready to get back there because that’s where a lot of the competitions are won.”

Wells said an event like the FLW Forrest Wood Cup is something that brings in strong support from all corners of region, especially after the success of the Bassmaster Classics.

“We’re very excited to have this here,” Wells said. “Everyone’s getting behind it. We couldn’t do it without our partners, such as the casino, the Caddo Parish Commission, the police jury, the state, the cities and parishes, the Shreveport Waterway Commission, the Red River commission and Red River Marina.

“There’s even a competition on KISS Country 93.7 FM where they’re offering prizes for folks who send in a picture of themselves kissing a bass fish they’ve caught. Nationally renowned wildlife painter Don Edwards is doing a commissioned work of the Red River and donating half of the sale proceeds. There’s a lot of media involvement, and the Bassmaster was the single biggest weekend ever for the Horseshoe Casino so they’re really on board for this, and there’s going to be a red carpet premier event, as well.”

The FLW Forrest Wood Cup will be held Aug. 15-18 on the Red River with daily launches at Red River South Marina and weigh-ins at CenturyLink Center, while the FLW Expo will be held at Shreveport Convention Center. For more information, visit www. forrestwoodcup.com, www. bassfederation.com, www. shreveportbossiersports.com or www.flwoutdoors.com.