RAYOVAC FLW SERIES CENTRAL DIVISION OPENER SET FOR GRAND LAKE
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GROVE, Okla. (April 7, 2015) – The Rayovac FLW Series is headed to Grand Lake April 16-18 for a tournament presented by Power Pole when as many as 300 pros and co-anglers will take to the water for the first stop of 2015 in the Central Division.
“It’s going to be a great tournament,” said Walmart FLW Tour rookie Zack Birge of Blanchard, Oklahoma. “The lake is full of fish and the bite is better than it has been in a couple of years.”
Birge, the 2014 Rayovac FLW Series champion, said anglers will be able to catch fish in a variety of ways. He said that he predicts that the tournament winner will be fishing in the Grand River.
“With the warmer weather we’ve had, the river is where this tournament will probably be won,” Birge said. “There’s a lot of big fish up there in the wood right now in the smaller pockets. You’ll be able to throw a spinnerbait or square-billed crankbait up and down the banks around laydowns and catch a ton of fish.
“I could also see anglers choosing to head south to the dams,” Birge continued. “There’s been some nice stringers caught from that direction, but I think the bigger and more consistent bags are going to come from the river.
“Fish are going to be caught all over the lake. Some bass are already up on beds spawning, and some are still in the prespawn phase waiting to make the move. There are a lot of options for competitors in this tournament.”
Birge said that Bandit Lures 200 Series crankbaits and Rapala Shad Raps will be dominant forces in this tournament. He predicted that competitors would need to bring a three-day total of at least 55 pounds to the scale to have a shot of winning the tournament.
“At this time last year, Grand Lake was in a funk,” said Birge. “But this year they’re biting real well and we’re seeing some really impressive stringers being brought in.”
Anglers will take off from the Wolf Creek Park marina located at 963 N. 16th St. in Grove at 7 a.m. CDT each day. Weigh-in on days one and two will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. On day three, weigh-in will be held at Walmart, located at 2115 S. Main St. in Grove, beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public. The event is being hosted by the Grand Lake Association.
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.
