Greg Bohannan looks forward to tough summer bass fishing and a good time with his family when he starts fishing Thursday in the Forrest Wood Cup, the championship event of the Walmart FLW Tour.
This is the fourth time the pro fisherman from Bentonville has qualified for the championship during nine years on the FLW Tour.
He and a f ield of top FLW pros begin competition Thursday on Wheeler Lake near Huntsville, Ala. Top prize is $300,000.
“It’s always exciting when you qualify. You can’t put in a good effort if you don’t get in it,” said the 44-yearold Bohannan.
Sure he’d like to win, but he has other goals. One is doing outreach work with youth and fishing fans of all ages. Another is getting more promotion for his new title sponsor, Old Spice. Sponsorship is everything in the world of professional fishing. Sponsors help pay the bills. Making the championship means more people will see the company’s logo on his boat and jersey.
The Forrest Wood Cup is also a good time for Bohannan’s family. His wife, Holly, and son Brock will make the trip. Bohannan’s mom and dad will also travel to Alabama. They’ll watch the competition and take part in the concerts, expos and offthe-water festivities.
Qualifying for the fourth time is different than the first year Bohannan fished the championship.
“That first year, you’re just so happy to be there. You’re awestruck with everything that’s going on,” he said. “Now I try to approach it like any other tournament.”
Bohannan expects the f ishing to be tough on Wheeler Lake in the August heat. He’s no stranger to the reservoir, part of the Tennessee River system.
“It’s the worst fishing of all the Tennessee River lakes,” Bohannan said. “Most of it is shallow, but there’s some deep water.”
Anglers get three days to practice fish, to come up with a fishing plan before the tournament. He plans to spend practice working all water depths.
He knows his way around Wheeler Lake, “but I’ve never fished it in August,” Bohannan said. “It’s going to be hot and kind of a grind type of tournament.”
Bohannan does outreach appearances wherever he goes on the FLW Tour. In Alabama, he’ll make appearances at Walmart stores. He has his own program, “Hook, Line and Leaders,” where he encourages young people to be good citizens and leaders in their communities. Bohannan has a program scheduled for his Wheeler Lake visit.
He and other FLW pros also will pay a visit to an area hospital.
Forrest Wood Cup anglers get to pick the music that is played over the sound system when they bring their fish to the weigh-in stage. Bohannan has picked “We Will Rock You,” by Queen.
He’s hoping for some rockin’ good f ishing at Wheeler Lake this week.
Flip Putthoff can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAFlip