The Mountain Eagle
WHITESBURG WEATHER

Norris to host weekend pro bass tourney




While most outdoorsmen and women are gearing up to hit the woods in search of big whitetail this weekend, more than 100 professional anglers will be vying for cash prizes and a berth in the prestigious Forrest Wood Cup on Norris Lake in Tennessee. The FLW Tour Invitational, held October 20 to 22, will begin at Anderson County Park on Norris Lake and continue until a champion is crowned on Saturday afternoon. This event marks the first major tournament trail to make a stop at Norris in recent history.

Brandon Card, University of Kentucky Fishing Team alumni and 2012 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year, is a favorite coming into the event. He grew up in nearby Caryville, Tenn., fishing Norris Lake any chance he could get. Card expects a challenge, “I’m looking forward to a fun week on Norris Lake fishing the FLW event, pretty exciting to fish for $100,000 on my home lake!”

Other anglers have been trying to navigate the fishery. The water level is currently 20 feet below summer pool, and the water temperatures are more fit for swimming than fishing. Above-normal temperatures have made the fish slow to transition into fall patterns, when top waters and crank baits prevail. Finesse techniques may dominate the event, assisting the anglers in catching Norris Lake’s smallmouth, largemouth, and spotted bass. Early estimates on the winning weight place a high value on three-pound class fish.

The FLW Tour Invitational on Norris Lake will take off from Anderson County Park in Andersonville, Tenn., at 7:30 am each morning. The weigh-ins are free to attend and will begin at 3:30 pm lakeside at the park on Thursday, Friday, and the champion will be crowned on Saturday.

FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization. Headquartered in Benton, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea.



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