RAYOVAC FLW SERIES NORTHERN DIVISION OPENER SET FOR JAMES RIVER

HENRICO, Va. (May 26, 2015) – The Rayovac FLW Series is headed to James River June 4-6 for a tournament presented by Mercury when as many as 300 pros and co-anglers will take to the water for the first stop of 2015 in the Northern Division.

“The James River is shining right now, so this should be an exciting tournament for anglers and spectators,” said Walmart FLW Tour pro Adrian Avena of Vineland, New Jersey, a two-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier. “There will definitely be some big fish brought to the scale.

“If I had to make a guess as to where this tournament will be won, it would most likely be the Chickahominy River,” Avena continued. “The water temperatures are rising and the fish are heading shallow to the grass, so that is going to be a popular pattern. For anglers who don’t want to fish the grass, it will be textbook junk fishing. The tide and the current are always factors on the James River. Rock stretches where there are irregularities in the bank, like where sand meets boulders, are a good bet as well as isolated pieces of wood.

“As for popular baits in this event, it’s hard to beat a straight-tailed worm. They cleanup well around grass edges,” said Avena. “These postspawn fish react to topwaters, so expect to see them be used. I think buzzbaits, frogs and jigs will all be playing a role as well.”

When asked about a winning weight, Avena said a three-day-cumulative weight nearing 60 pounds should take the top prize.

“Over the past few months it’s taken close to 20 pounds a day to win tournaments on the James,” said Avena. “It’s going to be a great weekend of fishing.”

Anglers will take off from Osborne Landing located at 9530 Osborne Turnpike in Henrico at 6:30 a.m. EDT each day. Weigh-ins will be held at the marina beginning at 2:30 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

Pros will fish for a top award of $40,000 plus a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Co-anglers will cast for a top award consisting of a Ranger Z117 with 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $5,000 if Ranger Cup guidelines are met.

The Rayovac FLW Series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments and competitors will be vying for valuable points in each division that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Rayovac FLW Series Championship. The 2015 Rayovac FLW Series Championship is being held Oct. 29-31 on the Ohio River in Paducah, Kentucky.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Rayovac FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.