DNR News
** Archived Article - please check for current information. **
August 13, 2014
Forrest Wood Cup is back at Lake Murray Aug. 14-17
The Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing, returns to Lake Murray and the Columbia area Aug. 14-17 to crown bass fishing’s top angler of 2014. Hosted by Capital City/Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism, the tournament will feature 45 of the world’s best bass pros and co-anglers casting for the sport’s biggest awards – $500,000 cash in the pro division and $50,000 cash in the co-angler division.
Pro angler Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C. said that he expects this tournament to play out very similar to the last time the Forrest Wood Cup was held on Lake Murray and that the
tournament could be won with a variety of different tactics, allowing competitors to fish to their strengths, “Some guys will be catching fish shallow, some guys will be catching them out deep,” Ashley said. “I think that the majority of the field will most likely be fishing a combination of both. There will be a lot of junk fishing going on. You can look at the results from the last time and get a really good idea of how this one will play out.”
The 2008 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray was won by California pro Michael Bennett, who “junk-fished” for the first two days of competition, moving down the bank casting to “junk” – lay-downs, trees, grass, docks or anything else that could hold fish. Bennett then moved shallow for the final two days of competition and fished a topwater frog around docks with grass to seal his win and earn the title of Forrest Wood Cup champion.
Anglers will take off from Dreher Island State Park located at 3677 State Park Road in Prosperity at 7 a.m. each morning. Weigh-ins will be held at the Colonial Life Arena located at 801 Lincoln St. in Columbia beginning at 5 p.m. daily.
Fans will be treated to the FLW Expo at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center located at 1101 Lincoln St. in Columbia on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. prior to the weigh-ins. The Expo includes Ranger boat simulators, the Chevy Truck Tour, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy games, activities and giveaways provided by more than 40 sponsors, shop the latest tackle and outdoor gear, and learn more about the sport from more than 100 exhibitors, including the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. All activities are free and open to the public.
Also on Saturday and Sunday, 500 free rods and reels will be given away each day to the first 500 children 14 years and under who are accompanied by an adult. The rod and reel giveaways are courtesy of WLTX News 19. One lucky fishing fan will win a Ranger Z521C powered by a 250-horsepower Mercury outboard. The Ranger boat giveaway is courtesy of 97.5 WCOS-FM and is free to enter, but the winner must be present at the conclusion of Sunday’s final weigh-in to win.
Coverage of the Forrest Wood Cup will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC when “FLW” airs Oct. 5 from 2-3 p.m. ET.
More News
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- Aiken County wildlife area opens to the public Saturdays in September
- Import of deer, elk parts into SC still limited by state regulation
- DNR asks public to report sightings of banded wood storks
- Fifty fields available for public dove hunting
- Banded mourning doves provide vital information to biologists
- Abbeville County youth dove hunt to be held Sept. 6
- State wildlife, fisheries group meets Aug. 21 in Columbia
- Dove hunting opportunity expanded for SC hunters
- Volunteer instructors sought for new Family Fishing Clinics
- Upstate National Hunting and Fishing Day set Sept. 20 at Duke Energy's World of Energy
- Early-season migratory bird seasons approved by S.C. Natural Resources Board
- Deer hunts for mobility impaired hunters to be held in Upstate
- Conservation Bank to host Land Trusts workshop Sept. 23 in Columbia
- Freshwater fishing trends
- Saltwater fishing trends
- S.C. weekly tidetable
- DNR video
- Archived news releases
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