Hundreds converge for annual bass tourney

By DENNIS APRILL, Outdoors Columnist

The bass boats have been arriving in Plattsburgh for the past week, and most of the 175 pro anglers and 175 co-anglers who will compete in this week’s Forrest Wood Open on Lake Champlain have been out scouting for bass hot spots on the big lake. The Plattsburgh stop in the seven-segment Wal-Mart FLW Tour offers more than $1 million in prize money.

The actual competition begins at 6 a.m. on Wednesday from Mooney Bay Marina, the starting point for all four days of the tournament. On both Wednesday and Thursday, the anglers return for the 3 p.m. weigh-in, also at Mooney Bay.

After Thursday, the cut is made, with only the top 20 pros and co-anglers left. The Friday weigh-in is at 5 p.m. at the Wal-Mart FLW Tour tent set up in the Consumer Square parking lot, Route 3, Plattsburgh.

Here, the field will be pared to 10 pros. The co-angler champion will be crowned, the winner taking home $40,000. Saturday’s finals run from 5:30 a.m. (takeoff time) to 3 p.m. final weigh-in at the Tour tent. PAX television airs the day’s competition live.

As of last week, most bass in the lake were spawned out and the fishing for large and smallmouths generally good.

The basic FLW rules allow a maximum of five bass per day at weigh-in, and they must be kept alive or there is a deduction-in-weight penalty. Only artificial lures are permitted.

Among the pros on hand for the tournament are last year’s Angler of the Year Kevin Van Dam of Kalamazoo, Mich., who is also this year’s points leader, followed by second place Jay Yelos of Tyler, Tex. and Bernie Schultz of Gainsville, Fla. Also competing are pros Larry Nixon, Guido Hibdon and Peter Thilveros, all well-known in fishing circles. Thilveros is a two time ESPN Great Outdoors Games Champion.

The 2001 Wal-Mart FLW Championship was scheduled for Plattsburgh last Sept. 12, but was canceled due to the terrorist attacks.