By James Combs
Bass tournament coming to Lake County
Lake County has reeled in another professional fishing tournament.
The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit will be held on the Harris Chain of Lakes from Feb. 20-23. Hosted by Lake County and presented by Bad Boy Mowers, the tournament will feature 154 fishing professionals from around the world competing for a top award of $135,000.
Competitors also hope to accumulate enough points to qualify for the 2020 Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) Pro Circuit Championship.
“This is going to be a really fun tournament,” professional anger and Leesburg resident Tim Frederick said in a press release. “We’re going to see fish in all three phases—prespawn, spawn and postspawn—and guys are going to be able to fish in a multitude of ways and have success.”
Tournament waterways will include Lake Harris, Lake Apopka, Lake Griffin, Lake Eustis, Lake Dora, Lake Carlton, Horseshoe Lake, Little Lake Harris, Lake Denham and Lake Beauclair.
“I think we’ll see the field really split up, and I expect that there will be tournament boats in every lake,” Tim says. “The key will be finding an area that has fish steady coming to you—moving in to spawn or back out after they spawn. A staging area where the fish are migrating in and out of will be the winning spot.”
Anglers will launch each day at 7am at Venetian Gardens, 201 E. Lake Harris Drive. Television coverage of the event will premiere in 2020. The event will have 156 tow-hour airings on network television, including 26 consecutive weeks of Friday night primetime airing on the Outdoor Channel and 130 airings on Sportsman Channel.
For youth, the FLW Foundation’s Youth Fishing Derby will be held at Venetian Gardens on Feb. 22 from 1-3 p.m. The event is hosted by Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit anglers and is free and open to any child age 14 and under.
For complete details and updated information, visit FLWFishing.com.
James Combs was a pillar of Akers Media Group since its inception in 2008. Over the years, he had the honor of interviewing Lake & Sumter County's most fascinating personalities, from innovative business owners to heroic war veterans, bringing their incredible stories to life. Throughout his career, James earned over 50 awards for writing excellence, a testament to his talent and dedication. In 2021, he was inducted into the Akers Media Group Hall of Fame. Sadly, James passed away in 2023 after a courageous battle with cancer. His legacy of storytelling and excellence continues to inspire us all.