The second MLF Invitational event of the season is set to take place in Appling, Georgia, this week at Clarks Hill Lake. Competition days are today through Thursday.
The Invitationals feature a roster of 150 anglers, competing at each event for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2024 – the Bass Pro Tour championship – for the chance to win up to $300,000. The Top 8 in the Angler of the Year standings at the end of the season will receive an invitation to compete on the Bass Pro Tour.
Clarks Hill Lake has played host to numerous BFLs over the years, but this marks the first time the fishery has hosted a professional-level MLF event. The BFL stats are pretty telling – it took more than 20 pounds to win two of the last five events, and the biggest winning weight over the years came back in 1997, when Majors Hamby walloped 24-14 at the end of April.
One thing is for sure – this event is scheduled at a prime time for big weight. February and March have produced consistent weights on Clarks Hill over the years. So, while the potential to catch a really big bag is there during the spawn, we’re likely to see really good fishing for the Invitational.
“The lake is really big – it’s pretty much a home lake for me. I grew up fishing club tournaments there, and it’s so big there’s a whole half of the lake I know nothing about,” said Belton, South Carolina, pro Brian Latimer (pictured). “The whole Georgia arm, I’ve fished about twice.
“The lake is very diverse; it used to have grass in it, it’s not there anymore,” Latimer said. “Everything is going to play in this tournament. It has the potential to be a forward-facing sonar tournament because the fish get in the ditches. There’s a strong offshore bite there, so the potential of it being a LiveScope tournament is extremely high.
“There’s always the potential to catch them shallow because there are so many water clarities,” Latimer continued. “You’re going to have extremely clear water, you can go in the creeks and it’ll be muddy, you can get in between in a nice pretty strain. There’s timber, there’s docks, it’s just got a lot of different options. Everybody is going to spread out and probably have something that’ll fit what they like.”
Latimer said to look for a winning weight around 60 pounds and that he expects a strong prespawn tournament.
“They move up a little quicker on Clarks Hill than they do on other lakes,” Latimer went on to say. “It’s a little flatter, so it warms up quicker. You get that initial push pretty fast. I can’t imagine it not being a good tournament.”
Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. ET each day from Wildwood Park, located at 6212 Holloway Road in Appling. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park beginning at 3 p.m. each day.
In Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Tuesday and Wednesday in a traditional five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the Top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight will advance to the final round on Thursday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000. The winner will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and will receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2024.
The MLF NOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on all three days of competition. MLF NOW! will be livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
