By MLF Communications Staff
Major League Fishingis set to return to Counce, Tenn., this week (today through Sunday) for the third event of the 2022 MLF Pro Circuit at Pickwick Lake. Hosted by the Hardin County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the tournament will showcase professional anglers competing for a total purse of more than $850,000.
MLF has held 72 tournaments on Pickwick over the past 22 years, placing it just inside the Top 10 fisheries most visited by the organization. This event will mark the seventh time the Pro Circuit has competed on Pickwick.
When the Pro Circuit visited the lake in 2011, Mark Rose racked up a four-day total of 77 pounds, 11 ounces to take home the top prize. When the Pro Circuit last visited, local pro Buddy Gross earned the victory over four days with 74-05. Reigning Pro Circuit Angler of the Year Michael Neal, who will be competing in this event, has finished runner up twice in the last two Pro Circuit visits to the fishery.
The full field of 158 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The Top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight will advance to Saturday. Only the Top 10 pros, based on cumulative weight from the first three days, will continue competition on Sunday, when weights will be zeroed and anglers will compete in a one-day shootout for the grand prize of $100,000.
Pro Circuit angler and reigning TITLE champ Jimmy Washam of Stantonville, Tenn., has spent a lot of time on the fishery recently and said he is excited to see how the tournament shapes.
“The fish were biting well and had started making a push to the bank,” said Washam. “The lake seemed really healthy, with a lot of 2 1/2-pound chunky largemouth and even more healthy smallmouth than we normally see. There was a lot of bait and the lake seems to be in really great shape for the event.”
With heavy rains in the in the preceding days, Washam said anglers will have to be on the lookout for fluctuating water levels, which will affect the fishing.
“The thing about TVA fisheries is, if necessary, they can put an extra 2- to 3-foot of water in the lake at the snap of a finger, which would definitely throw a curveball for the whole field, displacing fish and shaking things up.
“If we get pretty heavy rain out east, they may have to pull the water down real hard, then fill it back up to allow for the water to flow through this system. This time of year, you can definitely see some extreme water fluctuation – 3- to 4-foot in a matter of a couple days – and that will definitely change things drastically.”
While there are many variables to the fishing conditions, patterns and baits expected to be used during the event include catching fish around docks, on drop-offs and out a little deeper. Washam said he believes the event will mostly feature standard bank-fishing on visible targets.
“Some guys will have a spinning reel in hand and others will be flipping a Texas rig or jig – just your standard stuff to fish targets and cover when the fish move up to the bank,” said Washam. “I expect to see a lot of Texas-rigged and Carolina-rigged plastics, finesse stuff, a lot of shaky-heads, Ned rigs and wacky rigs.
“There’s always the wild card on the Tennessee river where someone could catch a mega-bag, but I think somewhere around the 80-pound mark will probably be the winning weight for the event,” continued Washam. “Daily weights can be hard to predict because when fish are really into spawn mode they can get harder to catch, but I think a little shy of 18 pounds per day should get you into the top 10.”
Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. CT each day from the Pickwick Landing State Park at 120 Playground Loop in Counce. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park daily at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the live on-the-water action all four days of competition online on MLF NOW! beginning at 7 a.m. CT at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
