Post spawn bass fishing may be tough on Lake Patoka; Walmart Bass Fishing League

The Walmart Bass Fishing League is headed to Lake Patoka June 25 for the second of five stops in the Hoosier Division. As many as 400 boaters and co-anglers will be competing for top awards up to $9,500 and $3,000, respectively.

“The winning sack is going to be caught out deep,” said Walmart FLW Tour pro John Voyles of Petersburg, Ind. “We are talking 10 to 20 feet. Jigs and big worms on the main lake is how I would fish.

“Fishing could be a little tough,” Voyles went on to say. “The bass are going to be post spawn. They are getting ready to go into their summertime patterns, but the cool weather may be delaying that just a little bit. The bass may not be ready to start eating yet.

“Some guys might try going into the creeks targeting wood and stumps,” Voyles added. “That is more of a springtime pattern when the fish are a little shallower in the muddy water and easier to catch. A few might still be caught that way, but the tournament will not be won that way.

Takeoffs and weigh-ins will be at Newton-Stewart South Marina located at 3084 North Dillard Road in Birdseye, Ind. Takeoff is scheduled for 6 a.m. while weigh-in will begin at 2 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

The Lake Patoka BFL tournament is being hosted by the Dubois County Tourism Commission.

The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, offering bigger prizes to those who qualify for regional championships and those who make it to one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/BassFishingLeague. For news surrounding FLW Outdoors on Facebook, follow Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWOutdoors.

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FLW Outdoors is the best in fishing, on and off the water. Anglers worldwide can compete for millions over the course of 191 tournaments in 2011. FLW Outdoors has taken fishing mainstream with the world’s richest fantasy sports game, FLW Fantasy Fishing presented by Straight Talk, where competitors can play for free as well as sign up for Player’s Advantage to gain an edge. For more information about FLW Outdoors and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com.