3-day Fishing League Worldwide competition attracts hundreds of anglers, highlights exceptional Lake Erie fishery
The Erie County Department of Environment and Planning is reminding area anglers of the upcoming 2018 Cost FLW (Fishing League Worldwide) Tournament Series, which will be held July 26-28 and will launch from the Safe Harbor Marina on the Outer Harbor. The premium bass fishing tournament has 160 boats already registered with approximately 350 participants anticipated, but it is expected roughly 200 boats will be registered by the start of the event.
A public information and registration event for the professional anglers will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 25, at SUNY Erie South Campus and will include food trucks (Lloyd's and Anderson's).
"The Costa FLW Championship Series will bring some of the world's best fishermen here to Lake Erie, which is itself home to some of the best freshwater fishing in the world and a perfect site for this competition," Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said. "This three-day event will be a great opportunity to see bass fishing pros using every lure in their tackle box in pursuit of trophy fish and the top prize. Avid anglers, weekend warriors, and anyone who's ever dipped a line should be excited about this competition, which will put our world-class bass fishing in the national spotlight."
Fishing League Worldwide is the world's largest fishing tournament series, consisting of three events among five divisions. The top 40 pros and co-anglers in each division will advance to the Championship in Lake Guntersville, Alabama. The Buffalo event is expected to generate approximately 1,200 hotel room nights and produce over $836,000 in economic impact.
"This tournament's return to our area is just one more example of the Buffalo Niagara Region's growing reputation as a world-class destination for anglers," Visit Buffalo Niagara and Buffalo Niagara Sports Commission President and CEO Patrick Kaler said. "The FLW series exemplifies how fishing tournaments and tourism can reel in major returns for the local economy."
Lake Erie's great renown as a bass fishery helped propel its selection for the 2018 event. Bassmaster Magazine recently ranked Lake Erie as the country's seventh-best and the Northeast's top bass fishery. Buffalo hosted FLW's All-American Championship in 1990 and 1991 as well as FLW Series events in 2004 and 2011, and a College Fishing qualifier in 2011. Each of these tournaments rank among the best ever held by FLW and highlights the high quality of Lake Erie bass fishing.
