BASS FISHING : Five Arkansans make FLW Championship
Posted on Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Five Arkansans are among a field of 48 anglers competing in the $ 1. 5 million FLW Championship this week in Birmingham, Ala.
The winner of the event will win $ 500, 000, plus unlimited endorsement opportunities. In addition, 48 co-anglers, who will be paired with the pros, will compete for a top prize of $ 25, 000.
Among the Arkansans competing in the pro division is George Cochran of Hot Springs, winner of the 2005 FLW Championship at Lake Hamilton. He will compete in the first round today against Larry Nixon of Bee Branch, who also made the final last year in Hot Springs. Brennan Bosley of Benton, Ray Scheide of Russellville and Rob Kilby of Hot Springs are also in the field.
Also in the event is Luke Clausen, winner of the 2006 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Tohopekaliga, Fla. Clausen did not fish the BASS Tour in 2006, making him the first Classic champion to voluntarily decline to defend his title.
Unlike the Classic, where the entire field competes together to make a cut, the FLW Championship pits individual anglers in a bracket format. An angler must only beat his bracketed angler to advance. Following the two-day opening round, 24 pros will advance to the semifinals based on their accumulated weight. Headto-head competition will continue in the one-day semifinal round, after which 12 pros will advance to the final round. The 12 finalists start from zero and compete for one day to determine the winner of the FLW Championship title.
This year, Cochran will face Nixon in the first round. Nixon (No. 8 ) is the higher seed, but Cochran (No. 41 ) has a better record in events held in Alabama. Nixon said if the bass are biting in shallow water, Cochran could be hard to beat.
“George is such a good shallow-water fisherman, and I prefer to fish away from the bank,” Nixon said. “It depends on whose fish are on. If the shallow fish are on good, I’m in deep trouble.”
Nixon acknowledged that he would rather fish against another angler, but he fishes to win regardless of the opponent or format.
“We both look at it as being no different than any other tournament,” Nixon said. “I’m always fishing against George, no matter what. I’d rather it be some other way, but you’ve got to do it one way or another.”
Scheide (No. 4 ) will fish against Wesley Strader (No. 45 ) of Spring City, Tenn. In his second year on the FLW Tour, Scheide had four top-50 finishes and earned $ 50, 000. He earned a check in every qualifying event.
Bosley, the No. 19 seed, will fish against Alvin Shaw (No. 30 ). Bosley started the season hot, claiming consecutive top-10 finishes at lakes Murray and Pickwick.
Kilby, the No. 32 seed, will fish against Glenn Browne (No. 17 ) of Ocala, Fla. In 11 years on the BASS Tour, Kilby has competed in eight Bassmaster Classics. On the FLW Tour, he has had 18 top-10 finishes and has qualified for the FLW Championship seven of the past eight years, earning nearly $ 1 million.
The first round will begin today at 7 a. m. Weigh-ins will be held at 5 p. m. at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Arena. The final round will be Saturday.
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