T
HISTORY AWAITS IN HUNTSVILLE
WHEELER LAKE PLAYS HOST TO THE 2016 FORREST WOOD CUP AUG. 4-7
he opportunity only comes once a
year, but the anticipation never
ends. the Forrest Wood cup pre-
sented by Walmart is FlW’s pinnacle event
of the season. it’s the championship. the
big show. the whole shebang for die-hard
tournament bass anglers.
Fifty anglers from all of FlW’s tourna-
ment circuits and the bass Federation
make the cup, but only one will be
crowned champion and earn the $300,000
top prize.
this season, and for the first time ever
in more than two decades of the Walmart
FlW tour, the cup will be held on the
tennessee River system at Wheeler lake,
aug. 4-7.
huntsville, ala., plays host for the 2016
cup, and the community is sure to slather
on the southern hospitality for the thou-
sands of fishing fans who’ll attend.
in the following pages, FlW offers
readers a preview of all of the cup festivi-
ties, both on and off the water.
contenders are profiled, patterns are pre-
dicted and schedules of exciting events
are provided. however, the real experi-
ence can only be had by joining us in
huntsville. We hope you’ll be there.
cup payouts
*plus entry into the 2017 Forrest Wood cup
visit Rocket city
FlW’s partner for the 2016 Forrest Wood cup is the
huntsville/Madison county convention & visitors bureau. if
you’re looking for a place to stay, a spot to dine or ideas for
family activities while you’re in town for the cup, the
huntsville/Madison county cvb website, huntsville.org, has
plenty of helpful information. or flip over
to page 86 for FlW’s suggestions for
local attractions.
the expo
the FlW expo at the
Forrest Wood cup is one of
the biggest consumer shows
in the business. best of all,
FlW allows exhibitors to sell
their wares on the show
floor, and many companies
offer exclusive discounts on
great fishing tackle.
over the years, the FlW
expo as the cup has helped
launch some of the best-
known fishing tackle prod-
ucts, including the basstrix
swim bait, Nichols Magnum
spoon and the alabama Rig.
What will be the hot seller
this season?
the 20th cup
the first Forrest Wood cup was held in 1996 on lake sinclair
in Georgia. the 2016 cup should have been the 21st installment
of the championship, but in 2001 the cup on lake champlain
was cancelled due to the terrorist attacks at the World trade
center in New york. thus, the 2016 cup is actually the 20th FlW
championship event.
FLWFISHING.COM I AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016
every angler who makes the Forrest
Wood cup earns a check. here’s how
the payouts break down.
Place
Payout
1
$300,000*
2
$60,000
3
$50,000
4
$37,500
5
$30,000
6
$24,000
7
$23,000
8
$22,000
9
$21,000
10
$20,000
11-20
$15,000
21-50
$10,000
by Curtis Niedermier