• Breaking News: FLW Red River Tourney Canceled

According to a recent tweet on Twitter via Jason Puris, aka The_Fin, the FLW tournament on the Red River has been canceled due to conditions.

The rising water level and bad conditions had something to do with the decision. I did some reading after writing up my initial draft of this post and learned several pro anglers had safety concerns, so a meeting was held and the tournament was given a no-go.

Word from various sources lately implied many anglers were having a tough time catching fish anyway. It might have been a rather uneventful weigh-in. High water on the river tends to shut down the public ramps pretty quick. That's how it goes, I suppose.

I'm left wondering why they didn't move the tournament like Shreveport officials were able to do for the WBT Championship. I'm also left wondering if it had more to do with the lack of bites than the safety concerns. Don't get me wrong. The river is certainly a dangerous place when high. I completely understand the level of concern. I just know that it was high during the Classic and when the WBT Championship was threatened, most had the opinion that the pros should be able to handle it. I'll just say I have some doubts on this one.

I'm following this latest news closely and might periodically update this post with a link or additional information.

My Fantasy Fishing roster was all lined up too. Had my camera, bag, gloves, and hat ready to go for the weigh-in. Bummer.

Some additional reading:
FLWOutdoors: FLW Tour event on Red River canceled
Shreveport Times: FLW cancels Red River event
Breaking News: FLW Tour Red River Tournament Canceled
BassFan(Scroll down to "Red River event jeopardized?")

• Some Red River South Marina Photos

Had a chance to head out to the marina this afternoon to check the water level. Several boats were coming in while I was there. Many more were still out on the water. The entire parking lot was full of empty boat trailers. I can already tell this weigh-in is going to take a while to get through.

The ramp itself is still very usable. The docks are still above water, but the middle walkway is under at one spot. You should be able to see it in one of the photos below. The water on the river is definitely up and muddy, but they call it the "Red" for a reason.

The one thing I didn't get a shot of is the little store there at the marina. In addition to selling food and snacks, they also sell some tackle and boat supplies. You can always find out more at redriversouthmarina.com.

• FLW Tour: Red River 2010 - My Thoughts

Note: The FLW has decided to cancel the Red River tournament. Read more here.

The FLW Tournament trail kicks off at the Red River here in Shreveport Bossier. The local coverage has not been what I expected after seeing all the hubbub surrounding the 2009 Bassmaster Classic. To be honest, I haven't really been watching for any local coverage. In my humble opinion, our local news stations are nothing to get excited over. From what I've read on FLWOutdoors, the tourney will host up to 300 anglers. Top prize appears to be $125,000 for pros and $25,000 for the co-anglers. Not too shabby. The tournament itself starts on February 10th and goes until the 13th. Takeoff is from the Red River South Marina each morning at 7:30am. Weigh-ins for days one through three will be at the marina and on day four, the weigh-in will take place at the Shreveport Convention Center starting at 4pm. Anglers are limited to fishing Pools 3, 4, and 5 and bass that matter must be over 12 inches. Many of our area lakes have a 14 to 17 inch slot limit, but that slot does not apply to the river.

Conditions are somewhat similar to what guys (and one gal) faced in the Bassmaster Classic last year. In '09, morning temps were frigid and the water coming from up north was equally bone-chilling. The bite will surely be difficult, but I think these anglers can manage. Last year, daily sacks hit the 15 to 20lb mark and the winner had 54-13 after all was said and done. I really think conditions are actually better this year. One can only hope, right?

The trick last year seemed to revolve around hitting backwaters. That is no easy task. Anglers in the Classic had a crash course in stump fields. Those stumps stand between them and where they needed to go. These stumps are serious hazards, so it's no laughing matter. But the Red is always changing. No telling what they'll be up against. The real question to ponder is this. Will the bass be turned on enough for anglers to bring them in? Many were surprised at what they found fishing the Red during the Classic. I suspect this tournament will be no different. The cold snap then did not push the bass as deep as expected, but they were not as aggressive either. Welcome to prespawn on the Red River. Keep your eyes on the weather forecast.

An FLW article interviewed Clark Wendlandt and according to him, the prespawn bass are going to be shallow. He has his own plan with regard to lures, but being local, I'd like to share my thoughts. Jigs should be at the top of the list. Whether anglers decide to swim them or fish the bottom is up to them. Consider Paca Chunk trailers and colors in the blue/black and black/red schemes. Using a jig, one can flip stumps and quite often, pull more than one nice fish off of the same stump. Chew on that for a while. The swimblade or Chatterbait style lure might be of interest, but I doubt many will be throwing those things. Skeet Reese nailed some nice ones on a Redemption spinnerbait, flipping, and tossing a Chigger Craw. If I remember right, Ike went finesse and did a fair amount of cranking too. Local favorite baits include Sweet Beavers, white/chartreuse spinnerbaits, Baby Brush Hogs, and stickworms. Craw colored rattle baits do well on area lakes, but I'm not sure how they perform on the Red River. Expect to see these baits take center stage among FLW anglers as well. The Red River doesn't have many secrets left.

Now if only I can decide whether or not I want to do FLW Fantasy Fishing. I'm going to try to make the weigh-ins. Not sure if I'll make the morning take off. I need to know the specifics. Last year, the marina was roped off and we had to park at the Century Tel arena and catch a bus down to the launch. I'll try to cover what I can.

Some useful related links:

NOAA/NWS: Red River at Shreveport

Schedule Of Events
http://flwoutdoors.com/redriver/

FLW Tour Red River - Details
http://flw.flwoutdoors.com/tournament.cfm?cid=1&did=25&tid=6356&t=details

First stop on FLW Tour slated for Red River
http://flw.flwoutdoors.com/article.cfm?id=150650

FLW Outdoors announces pro field for FLW Tour event on the Red River
http://www.flwoutdoors.com/article.cfm?id=150672