COSTA FLW SERIES CLOSES OUT REGULAR SEASON AT LAKE OF THE OZARKS PRESENTED BY EVINRUDE
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OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (Oct. 3, 2019) – The 2019 Costa Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) Series Central Division will wrap up their season next week at Lake of the Ozarks, Oct. 10-12, with the Costa FLW Series at Lake of the Ozarks presented by Evinrude. Hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association, the three-day tournament will feature more than 230 of the best regional bass-fishing pros and co-anglers casting for a top prize of up to $85,000, including a brand new Ranger Z518L boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard in the pro division.
The lake has been fishing phenomenally all year,” said Bass Pro Shops pro Casey Scanlon of Lake Ozark, Missouri, who has three top-10 finishes on Lake of the Ozarks in FLW competition. “We’ve had a lot of rain, and they’ve been flushing current all year which has had the fish relating to current for most of the year. They’re starting to cut it down, though, and the fish are beginning to transition to their fall patterns. That has them scattered – shallow and deep – and guys are going to be able to fish their strengths.”
Scanlon said that he expected to see many anglers fishing in the backs of creeks, along stretches of docks and targeting the mid-range brush piles.
“That’s one of the best things about Lake of the Ozarks is that the tournament can be won in any creek or cover, from dam to dam,” said Scanlon. “The key will be playing the conditions right. It’s such a diverse lake, and the fishing is so good that it’s hard to try to pin down a winning tactic. I do know that we’re really going to be catching them.”
Topwater baits and spinnerbaits up shallow were specifically mentioned by Scanlon, along with jigs and crankbaits both expected to play a role for competitors.
“I think the three day winner will have somewhere from 50 to 53 pounds,” Scanlon went on to say. “There is a big local tournament going out the weekend before, so I think the lake may fish a little tough based on the pressure. But, local tournament winners have been averaging 17 to 18 pounds a day here and I think that it is very likely that we match that.”
Anglers will take off from the Grand Glaize Recreation Area, located at 711 Public Beach Road in Osage Beach at 7 a.m. CDT each day of competition. The weigh-ins will be held each day at the Grand Glaize Recreation Area beginning at 3 p.m. All takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
In Costa FLW Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event. At Lake of the Ozarks, pros will fish for a top prize of up to $85,000 including a brand new Ranger Z518L boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if Ranger Cup qualified. Co-anglers will cast for a brand new Ranger Z175 boat with a 115-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard, and $5,000 if Ranger Cup qualified.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the International division. Each U.S. division consists of three regular-season tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to compete in the season-ending Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2019 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Oct. 31 – Nov. 2 on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagra