Hopefully you took in a hearty dose of tackle, bait and fish this month because yesterday was the last day for fishing month! But who are we kidding- for the true fishing fans, fishing isn’t just exclusive to the month of April. And for professional fisherman Tom Redington, he’s been hopping across the nation for the 2015 Walmart FLW Tour tour that spans nearly half the year and seven cities.
Redington and the BSA made the third stop of the tour at Beaver Lake in Rogers, Ark., along with 154 of the top pro bass anglers in the country. This location was particularly special because not only is the lake home to the trail’s primary sponsor, Walmart, it’s also home to a bevy of Scouts with a passion for fishing.
“Beaver is known as one of the toughest tournament fishing lakes, with deep clear water that holds lots of small fish, but few that are large enough to be legal keepers,” explained Redington. “Beaver Lake has always been my nemesis, and although I caught a lot of fish each day, I wasn’t able to catch enough big ones to be a factor.”
Despite missing out on contention, Redington has high hopes for the next event after catching lots of big bass the prior week for the FLW Rayovac Series in Grove, Okla., with a solid ranking of 37 out of 197.
On Beaver Lake, Scouts and the pro fisherman staffed a BSA booth at the Hammonds Convention Center, talking to fishing fans and local families about Scouting. While recruiting for local troops, Redington signed autographs and chatted with Scouts. The festivities of the weekend were well attended thanks to the Westark Area Council that promoted the event to its members. Top that with a free concert and some awesome giveaways, and there’s no wonder Scouts were hooked.
“The Westark Area Council followed the ‘Be Prepared’ motto and local BSA representative Mike Boness had a great display to help showcase Scouting, recruiting some new members and building goodwill for Scouting in the community,” said Redington.
The next Walmart FLW Tour tournament runs from May 14-17 on Lake, Eufaula on the Alabama and Georgia border. Find Redington with local Scouts at the Expo on May 16 and 17. All activities are free so don’t miss out on this fun opportunity to fish with the pros (and maybe even earn your fishing merit badge)!
Catch up on events one and two and follow all of the upcoming action on FLWfishing.com, NBC Sports, WFN (World Fishing Network) and the Pursuit channel.
