Pat Fisher, of Colbert, Ga., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds on the final day to win the Costa FLW Series Championship on Table Rock Lake in Arkansas. The event featured 192 of the top semi-pro boaters and co-anglers from across the globe. Fisher’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 40 pounds, 4 ounces, earned him $50,200 and a coveted spot in the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup.
“I haven’t fished at this level in years, so this tournament was like a family reunion,” said Fisher, who spent eight years on the FLW Tour before stepping away in 2008. “I’ve always been very competitive, so it feels great to win.”
“I came into this event after having the worst practice I’ve ever had,” Fisher continued. “On Day One, I went to a 200-yard stretch of bank way up the James River that I had a little success on. I sat in about 4 feet of water, throwing to bass that were shallower—maybe about a foot down. It was cloudy, so I threw a ¼-ounce white and blue-colored Boogerman Buzzbait and was able to catch nine keepers including a decent kicker.”
On Day Two, competitors were held at the marina for two hours due to excessive fog. Although the delay cut a large chunk out of Fisher’s day, he said he was still able to salvage a solid limit.
“I ran back up to the James River area and arrived at 11 a.m.,” said Fisher. “It was bright and slick, so I knew they wouldn’t eat the buzzbait. I picked up a custom shaky-head rigged with a green pumpkin-colored Zoom Trick Worm and threw it around for a while. The largest piece of laydown in the area—a tree—produced around 30 fish for me. It was my magic tree.”
Fisher said he capped off the event by returning to his main stretch on Day Three, but this time, he was able to cover water more efficiently.
“I left two really big fish up there, so I narrowed my area to a 75-yard stretch,” said Fisher. “I threw to any cover I could. After the sun came out, I went back to my magic tree and caught six or seven big ones on the buzzbait. I guess it took me some more time during the tournament to figure them out.”
The top-finishing boater from each of the six Costa FLW Series divisions qualified for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup. Additionally, the overall top five finishers not already selected as the highest finisher in their division qualify for the Cup. The 2017 Forrest Wood Cup will be held Aug. 11-13 at Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina.
In Costa FLW Series regular-season competition, each division competes in three tournaments, with competitors vying for points to earn their way into the top 40 and the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship.